OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL: Rugani, Matuidi pass COVID-19 follow-up tests

Daniele Rugani and Blaise Matuidi were the first two Juventus players to test positive for coronavirus. They were joined by Paulo Dybala shortly thereafter, but the first two players at the club to get COVID-19 were in a little different kind of situation. Rugani maintained he was “fine” even though he dealt with symptoms, while Matuidi was deemed asymptomatic from the start of it all.

Now, nearly a month after Rugani tested positive, both players have gotten a clean bill of health, the club has confirmed. Juventus posted the following statement on their website Wednesday afternoon:

Daniele Rugani and Blaise Matuidi underwent, as per protocol, a double check with diagnostic tests (swabs) for the Coronavirus-Covid 19. The tests came back with negative results. The players have, therefore, recovered and are no longer subjected to the home isolation regime.

You may now breathe a little easier knowing that two of Juve’s three coronavirus cases have been cleared and the players are completely healthy again.

There’s obviously no word on Paulo Dybala just yet, but seeing as his Easter Sunday involved some indoor workouts, one could surmise that Juve’s No. 10 is feeling a lot better as compared to a few weeks ago. Dybala’s girlfriend Oriana Sabatini was also diagnosed with coronavirus. Dybala recalled in an interview with Juventus TV after his positive test just how tough it was at times, stating that he “could hardly breathe” after developing “strong symptoms.”

The good news is that Rugani and Matuidi have gotten the green light when it comes to full health and Dybala seems like he’s getting close to being there as well. Obviously these are a very, very small part of the coronavirus numbers in Italy, but it’s quite pleasing to know that the three players who did test positive have either completely recovered or will be doing so in relatively short order.