Cristiano Ronaldo made the most of his final planned day in his native Madeira, giving his mom a gift-wrapped new car and hiking around the island with his son before finding his flight to Italy grounded by authorities.
The Portuguese captain’s Gulfstream G200 jet arrived in the city’s capital of Funchal on Sunday evening and had been due to take Ronaldo to Turin shortly afterwards. But Spanish government officials denied requests to take off under guidelines imposed as part of travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ronaldo’s delayed departure is thought to be little more than a hitch before the striker returns to Vinovo today, where he will enter self-isolation for two weeks ahead of an expected return to training with Juventus on May 18.
There had been strong suggestions that Ronaldo would leave the island, where he has spent almost two months keeping fit and spending time with family since the suspension of Italian football on March 9, last week.
Discovering my island with the best company??❤️ #madeiraisland #staysafe
The extra time he spent at home allowed him to treat mother Dolores – who he has been keeping a watchful eye on in the aftermath of the stroke she suffered shortly before the Serie A season stopped – to a sparkling new Mercedes wrapped in a red bow.
Clutching a bunch of flowers and posing for a photo with the swanky car on Mother’s Day in Portugal, Dolores wrote: “Thank you to my children for the gifts I received today.”
Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, replied: “You deserve the world…we will be here to take care of you. Happy day, my beloved old lady.”
Obrigada aos meus filhos pelos presentes que hoje recebi. Feliz dia para todas as mães ❤️?
The striker himself spent the day at Ponta de Sao Lourenco, the easternmost point of the island of Madeira, with his namesake young son and wife Georgina Rodriguez.
He called Dolores and Rodriguez “my two special women”, to which his wife responded with a photo of herself in sportswear on a mountain, having published a flesh-baring snap on a balcony earlier in the day.
Rodriguez and Dolores have taken part in training sessions with Ronaldo during his time on the island, including a hill sprints session for the couple and a weights workout for Ronaldo’s mother.
Paños al aire ??? @aloyoga
Portuguese health officials confirmed that Ronaldo had tested negative for the virus and gave him the all-clear to continue private training outdoors after he was pictured working with a ball at the nearby stadium which is home to local side CD Nacional.
Three of his teammates at table-toppers Juve have tested positive for the disease, including fellow striker Paulo Dybala, who has reportedly been diagnosed with the virus four times since initially making a painful recovery along with his girlfriend.
????? Punta de San Lorenzo ⛰?❤ @aloyoga #family #love
Speaking over the weekend, midfielder Blaise Matuidi said his positive test had left him in disbelief and affected his mental state as he struggled to comprehend how he had contracted the virus while remaining asymptomatic.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s announcement that teams could start training has given Juve hope that they will be able to complete their season, sitting a point clear of Lazio with 12 matches remaining.
