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Reports: COVID-19 rules Cristiano Ronaldo out of Juventus' Champions League clash with Lionel Messi's Barcelona

It looks like the first on-field meeting between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in more than two years will have to wait a little longer.

According to multiple reports, Ronaldo, who was revealed to have tested positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 13, still had not tested negative for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, ruling him out of Wednesday’s much-anticipated Champions League group stage match against Lionel Messi and Barcelona.

The two global icons, both considered among the best players of all time, have not faced off since Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juve in 2018. Ronaldo, 35 is a five-time Champions League winner and the career scoring leader in Europe’s top club competition, with 130 goals in 177 appearances. Messi, 33, is second, with 116 goals in 140 games. He has led Barca to four titles during his 14 years with the club.

Ronaldo tested positive for COVID-19 while on duty with the Portuguese national team. He returned to Turin to isolate and has not trained or featured in Juve’s last two Serie A games, neither of which the club won without its headliner. Ronaldo also missed Juve’s its 2020-21 Champions League season-opening 2-0 win last week at Dynamo Kiev.

As disappointing as Tuesday’s news is to Juve fans and neutral supporters alike, Ronaldo and Messi are scheduled to meet again in early December as Juventus and Barcelona close out their Group G slate.

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