Real Madrid star Luka Modric was in direct contact with Domagoj Vida, who has tested positive for COVID-19. The pair were together while on international duty with Croatia. Vida tested negative on Monday but positive on Wednesday, and on Tuesday uploaded a photograph with Modric on Instagram.
This has understandably worried Real Madrid. Los Blancos have recently seen Casemiro and Eden Hazard test positive for COVID-19 and would be loathe to lose another key player to the virus. “After all players and coaching staff tested negative on Monday for the match with Turkey, the test for the match with Sweden was held on Wednesday morning,” the Croatian Football Federation said in a statement in quotes carried by Cuatro. “The HNS received the test results after midnight local time and they revealed that Domagoj Vida was positive.”
The federation got wind that Vida was a potential positive at half-time during the clash with Turkey, and thus withdrew him from the field. The test on Wednesday morning confirmed their suspicion. “The medical service of the national team isolated Vida according to all epidemiological measures until the results of the tests were confirmed. According to the regulations, Vida will spend the next few days in self-isolation in Istanbul,” they added.
Croatia travel to Sweden tomorrow evening before hosting Portugal on Tuesday, both games in the Nations League. Real Madrid currently sit fourth in LaLiga, four points behind league leaders Real Sociedad and ten clear of bottom-placed Huesca. They’ve suffered unexpected losses domestically to Cadiz and Valencia and have also been performing below-par in Europe – Madrid currently sit third in Champions League Group B, ahead of Inter Milan but trailing Borussia Monchengladbach and Shakhtar Donetsk.