Cristiano Ronaldo is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19, the Portuguese football federation announced Tuesday.
The 35-year-old is doing well and not experiencing symptoms but will miss Portugal’s Nations League match against Sweden on Wednesday.
All other players on the national team returned negative results.
Ronaldo took part in Portugal’s last two games against Spain and France and posted a photo on Twitter of himself dining with the team.
“United on and off the pitch!” the caption read.
Unidos dentro e fora do campo! ?????? #todosportugal pic.twitter.com/4bQSUIPm2m
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 12, 2020
Ronaldo must now serve 10 days in quarantine and return a negative test result to resume play in Serie A with Juventus. He’s likely to sit out his club’s next two matches – Saturday against Crotone and next Tuesday against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League – and is at risk of missing the marquee clash against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona on Oct. 28.
Ronaldo is the latest high-profile footballer to contract COVID-19. Liverpool star Sadio Mane is currently isolating after displaying minor symptoms, while AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has recently recovered from the virus.
Manchester United brokered the arrival of Edinson Cavani on Monday.
The Uruguayan veteran, who’s Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer, was available on a free transfer and was linked with moves to Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Benfica earlier this summer.
Cavani signed a one-year contract at Old Trafford with an option to extend the deal for an additional year. The striker’s agent was reportedly requesting a payment of €10 million before signing off on Cavani’s transfer.
“I have played in front of some of the most passionate supporters in football during my career and I know that it will be the same in Manchester,” he said. “I cannot wait to experience the Old Trafford atmosphere, when it is safe for the fans to return.”
The 33-year-old will challenge Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, and Odion Ighalo for minutes in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s frontline. He officially left PSG at the end of June after falling behind Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Mauro Icardi, and others in the stacked striking contingent at the Parc des Princes.
Manchester United completed the signings of left-back Alex Telles and 18-year-old winger Amad Diallo Traore earlier on deadline day. The Red Devils had only picked up Donny van de Beek from Ajax this summer before the 11th-hour acquisitions of Cavani, Telles, and Traore.
In addition to the groups for the 2020-21 Champions League campaign, UEFA revealed the recipients of a bevy of season-ending awards during Thursday’s ceremony in Geneva. Here are the winners of the various honors.
Men’s Player of the Year
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
The presumptive Ballon d’Or favorite prior to the scrapping of the 2020 installment, Robert Lewandowski capped a brilliant campaign by leading Bayern Munich to a Champions League title. The Polish international became one of only two players to capture a treble while leading all three competitions in scoring.
Women’s Player of the Year
Pernille Harder (Wolfsburg)
Danish international forward Pernille Harder topped all scorers in the Champions League with nine goals as Wolfsburg lost to Lyon in the final. Harder also became the world’s most expensive female footballer when she joined Chelsea in September for a reported €300,000 fee.
Men’s Coach of the Year
TF-Images / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Hansi Flick (Bayern Munich)
From caretaker boss following Niko Kovac’s sacking to full-time manager and treble winner, Hansi Flick enjoyed a remarkable term with Bayern. Under Flick, the Bundesliga behemoths went on a torrid spell that included victories in 32 of 35 matches, the best points-per-match ratio in club history.
Women’s Coach of the Year
Jean-Luc Vasseur (Lyon)
Lyon gaffer Jean-Luc Vasseur’s first season in the charge of the club was near-infallible: Les Fenottes notched a record 14th French League title on the spin and a record seventh Champions League conquest.
Goalkeeper of the Season
Men: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
Women: Sarah Bouhaddi (Lyon)
Bayern’s Manuel Neuer unsurprisingly earned the distinction after playing a key role in the club’s Champions League crowning. It was the same for Lyon shot-stopper Sarah Bouhaddi, who won her seventh Champions League with the French giants this past season.
Defender of the Season
DeFodi Images / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Men: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Women: Wendie Renard (Lyon)
Joshua Kimmich captured this award despite playing most of the campaign as a defensive midfielder for treble winners Bayern. Goal-scoring Lyon center-back Wendie Renard earned recognition after winning a seventh European Cup and 14th French League title.
Midfielder of the Season
Men: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Women: Dzsenifer Maroszan (Lyon)
Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne became the third Premier League player to earn this award, joining David Beckham and Frank Lampard. Germany star and Lyon playmaker Dzsenifer Marozsan took home her latest individual honor as Lyon added to their impressive haul.
Forward of the Season
Men: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Women: Pernille Harder (Wolfsburg)
Lewandowski led both the Bundesliga and the Champions League in goals in 2019-20, while Harder won the women’s award after achieving the same feat with Wolfsburg.
UEFA also honored Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba with the President’s Award as part of Thursday’s festivities. The award is bestowed annually to a person involved in football who has contributed to the advancement and excellence of the sport.
Former Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani – without a club since leaving the French champions in the summer – has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with Manchester United, according to The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano.
The free transfer will reportedly be finalized once Cavani’s agent comes to an agreement on commission. His representative is apparently asking for €10 million to complete the deal.
Cavani, who scored a record 200 goals for PSG in seven prolific seasons, departed at the end of his contract in June. A number of clubs – including Juventus, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Benfica – were linked with the 33-year-old in recent months, but his high wage demands proved to be an obstacle.
He was reportedly seeking a long-term deal worth €10 million per season. It remains to be seen how much he’ll be making at Old Trafford.
Cavani could make his debut for the club in the Champions League against PSG. The two sides face each other Oct. 20.
United turned to Cavani after negotiations ended for Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho. United were reportedly unwilling to meet Dortmund’s €120-million asking price for the English international.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Friday he was content with the depth in his squad, but the club clearly wanted another option at the forward position. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, and Odion Ighalo carried the load last season.
Midfielder Donny van de Beek is the Red Devils’ only other signing this summer.
