Barcelona star Sergi Roberto tested positive for the coronavirus an incredible 26 times during his 29-day recovery from the illness.

The 28-year-old picked up a muscle injury against Atletico Madrid on November 22, which was expected to keep him out of first-team action until the end of January. But his misery was compounded on December 1, when he was forced to quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus.

And Spanish programme Onze on TV3, as cited by Mundo Deportivo, has revealed that the midfielder required an incredible 29 days to eventually return a negative covid swab, testing positive 26 times along the way.

Roberto had to remain in self-isolation while testing positive for the virus, meaning he was forced to stay at home and work on his recovery alone, rather than speeding up the process with his medical staff at Barcelona’s training ground.

Fortunately, the Barça star only suffered from mild symptoms, making the recovery slightly more bearable. He worked back towards fitness using materials which the club provided for him, and got himself into a good physical condition in preparation for finally shaking the virus.

The good news is that Roberto eventually tested negative and returned to training with his teammates, and even made his return to action as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening.

The Spaniard is not the only footballer to have been affected by covid for an extended period of time. Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo was sidelined for several weeks due to the illness, while teammate Paulo Dybala needed 47 days to finally return a negative test.