Juventus star Paulo Dybala has announced that he and his partner have tested positive for the coronavirus, but he insists that they are in ‘perfect condition’ despite the illness.
There has been plenty of confusion surrounding the 26-year-old’s wellbeing of late, after rumours swirled that he had been infected by the deadly virus last week. But the forward denied these claims, stating he was ‘fine and in voluntary isolation.’
However, Dybala released a statement via Twitter on Saturday evening, admitting that he and his partner Oriana have both contracted the coronavirus, but he assured his followers that they are both well.
“Hi everyone, I just wanted just to inform you that we have received the results for the Covid-19 test and both Oriana and I have tested positive,” the message read. “Luckily we are in perfect conditions. Thanks for your messages.”
Dybala is not the first Juve player to be struck down by the coronavirus however, after a 2-0 victory over Inter on 8th March sparked chaos in Turin. News broke that Daniele Rugani had tested positive for the virus soon after their clash with I Nerazzurri, and Frenchman Blaise Matuidi was the next to be infected.
Subsequently, the players were ordered to remain in quarantine for 14 days, and told not to leave the house or make contact with anyone else.
But some of their stars have had difficulty obeying these rules, with South American duo Gonzalo Higuain and Douglas Costa both leaving Italy for the safety of their home countries – although in the former’s case, he has returned home to see his s
Italy has suffered terribly due to the fast-spreading coronavirus, and officials took the decision to stop all football after I Bianconeri beat Antonio Conte’s Inter earlier this month. The entire nation has been put into an enforced lockdown since then, in an attempt to reduce the number of new cases.
But the quantity of fatalities and newly-infected citizens shows no signs of slowing down, meaning the football calendar has been thrown into serious question. Juve were involved in a tense three-way title race with Lazio and I Nerazzurri, but the restart date for the campaign remains a mystery.