Juan Bernat, Sergio Rico, and Nathan Bitumazala have also contracted the virus and are quarantined; Neymar will remain in Brazil for treatment on an ankle injury and will be sidelined for another three weeks.
The club confirmed that Lionel Messi and three other Paris Saint-Germain players tested positive for coronavirus.
Juan Bernat, Sergio Rico, and Nathan Bitumazala have also been infected and are being held in quarantine.
Messi has appeared in PSG’s last six Ligue 1 matches, as well as their Champions League Group A defeat to Manchester City and victory over Club Brugge.
The 34-year-old, along with Bernat, Rico, and Bitumazala, will miss Monday’s French Cup match against Vannes but, pending a negative test, may be available for the following Sunday’s match against Lyon.
Beginning Monday, fully vaccinated individuals in France who test positive will be required to isolate for seven days regardless of the coronavirus variant they contracted but will be released after five days if they demonstrate an antigen or a negative PCR test.
On Saturday, France reported 219,126 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period, the fourth consecutive day with more than 200,000 cases.
France, along with the United States, India, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Russia, now has more than ten million cases.
Messi joined PSG from Barcelona in August and has six goals in 16 appearances for the Parisian club in all competitions.
The Ligue 1 club also provided an update on Neymar, who is currently in Brazil and will continue to receive treatment for an ankle injury that has kept him out of action for eight PSG matches.
His return to training is still expected in “approximately three weeks.”
PSG lead Ligue 1 with 46 points after 19 matches, 13 points ahead of second-placed Nice.
Isolating in Argentina
Messi tested positive while on vacation in Rosario, Argentina, his hometown.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is “constantly in contact with our medical service. He will be able to return to France if the test is negative “PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is also from Argentina, made the announcement at a press conference.
The French government recently announced that it would reduce the quarantine period for people who are fully vaccinated but test positive for COVID-19 from 10 to seven days. However, because Messi is currently not in France, it is unclear when he will be allowed to return.
Will miss cup tie and possibly Lyon clash?
Messi will miss Monday’s French Cup match against Vannes, and Pochettino said he didn’t know if Messi would also miss PSG’s first Ligue 1 match after the winter break, against Lyon next Sunday.
He is the most recent in a long line of soccer players and coaches to contract COVID-19.
Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp has also isolated himself after testing positive for COVID on Saturday, while Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer and four other Bundesliga players have also contracted the virus.
