Real Madrid: Benzema tests positive for covid-19
Real Madrid informed that the French striker tested positive before returning to Spain from Lyon. He will remain in France until he recovers from the virus.
Karim Benzema won't be able to start the pre-season with Real Madrid - at least for the time being. The club confirmed that the French striker has tested positive for covid-19. Benzema was one of the international players who took part at Euro 2020 who are due to rejoin the squad today. He tested positive in Lyon, just before he was die to fly back to Madrid but will now remain in France until he has recovered from the virus.
Benzema in quarantine
For now, Benzema must self-isolate and remain in quarantine for a minimum of 10 days and hope he gets over the illness as soon as possible so that he can start work with his team mates. It's a setback for Ancelotti, although had it not been for his pre-journey test, Benzema could have inadvertently infected the rest of the squad on his return.
The chances of that happening are slim as Madrid have strict controls in place to avoid precisely these kinds of situations. LaLiga has left the responsibility of testing players to the club this season and Madrid have opted for a three-pronged procedure: antigen tests, PCR tests and serologic tests to determine whether infected players have developed antibodies. With Benzema testing positive in France, his reunion with Ancelotti will be delayed. The two worked together for a couple of seasons, from 2013 until 2015, and the Italian coach got the best out of the striker during that time.
Benzema is the tenth Real Madrid employee to return a positive covid-19 test since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Other players who have caught the virus include Militão, Hazard, Casemiro, Jovic, Mariano, Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Fede Valverde and Kroos. Also affected were former coach Zinedine Zidane and club president, Florentino Pérez.