Cristiano Ronaldo has tested negative for coronavirus and can return to action for Juventus this weekend.
The Portuguese forward has missed the Serie A champions’ last four games in all competitions after contracting the virus on international duty with Portugal 19 days ago.
And the Turin club confirmed on Friday that Ronaldo is no longer required to self-isolate at home following his negative rest, meaning he could return to action on Sunday as Juventus travel to Spezia.
The Portuguese star had been self-isolating having previously tested positive for coronavirus.
Ronaldo first tested positive following Portugal’s fixtures against France and Spain on October 13 despite being asymptomatic throughout his entire self-isolation period.
Friends revealed that he ‘felt like a beast forced to stay in a cage’ while frustrated in quarantine, according to Italian news outlet Tuttosport.
Two weeks after his initial diagnosis, Ronaldo took another test on Wednesday of last week but another positive result saw his return to the Juventus squad delayed even further.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was, however, accused of breaking coronavirus rules when he flew home from Portugal to Italy after testing positive for the illness.
When asked whether Ronaldo had breached Covid-19 rules by taking a private air ambulance, Italy’s sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora told Rai Radio: ‘Yes, I think so, if there were no specific authorisations from the health authority.’
The Old Lady’s most recent game saw them lose at home to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night, but Ronaldo’s diagnosis meant that he was denied a reunion with Catalans captain Lionel Messi in Turin.
Ronaldo shared a video of himself this week on a treadmill in full Juventus first-team kit
Hours before the match started, Ronaldo showed he was in a good physical condition by running on a treadmill in his full Juventus kit, before slamming the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing system which delayed his return.
Juventus failed to win the two Serie A matches they played in without Ronaldo since the October international break, as last year’s Serie A champions were held to draws by top-flight minnows Hellas Verona and Crotone.
If Ronaldo returns to the Juventus line-up this weekend, he will need to guide his side from fifth-place in the table. The Old Lady sit four points behind Serie A leaders AC Milan, who – like Andrea Pirlo’s champions – are yet to lose in the Italian top-flight this term.
Before going into lockdown, Ronaldo had three Serie A goals in two league games this season.
