Cristiano Ronaldo has been
slammed for breaking the Juventus quarantine and heading home to ‘take
pictures in the pool’ during the coronavirus outbreak.
The
Juve star retreated to his native homeland Madeira towards the start of
the month after his mother suffered a stroke and he has decided to stay
there as Covid-19 spread across the world.
While the Serie
A season has been suspended, Ronaldo has been staying at a luxury villa
that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and has been sharing his experiences
regularly on social media.
This
week he posed topless in the gym with family members, while his
girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez has also been posting updates from the
villa, which boasts a rooftop swimming pool and its own football pitch.
Former
Juve president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, though, is far from happy with
his club’s star man and the pictures he has been posting during the
global crisis.
‘The thing at Juventus got complicated when
Cristiano Ronaldo left. Ronaldo said he went to Portugal because of his
mother, but now he only appears to take pictures in the pool’, he told
Radio Punto Nuovo.
‘When this exception was made, the
situation fell apart and others wanted to go. It shouldn’t have been
like that. They should all have been quarantined.
He fears that many Juve players will have difficulty returning to Italy when the situation calms down.
Last
week Gonzalo Higuain, Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, Douglas Costa and
Rodrigo Bentancur joined Ronaldo in fleeing Italy to return home.
‘Criticizing now is easy, but, seen from the outside, I don’t understand why some players wanted to leave Italy’, he continued.
‘When they return it will be more difficult to get back into shape, because they will have to be quarantined for 14 days.’
The
35-year-old has kept up his famously stringent workout regime during
lockdown, posing in a photo that his sister Katia uploaded to her
Instagram.
The
Portuguese forward showed off his six-pack and incredible dorsal
muscles, and pulled up his shorts in trademark style as he stood with
members of his family, including his niece Alicia and other sister Elma.
Ronaldo
was in top form during the season before Serie A was suspended, and had
hit a staggering 13 goals in his last 11 matches in all competition.
He
has also been clear to his followers that they must follow the
government advice and stay at home: ‘If you ever dreamed of playing for
millions around the world, now is your chance. Play inside, play for the
world’.
Ronaldo’s mother admitted at the weekend she feels
lucky to be alive as she posted her first selfie since her hospital
release showing her recovery.
Dolores was told she could go home nearly two weeks after medics at Madeira’s Nelio Mendonca Hospital saved her life.
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