Turkey’s former national team goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber has been infected with the novel coronavirus and hospitalized, his wife Işıl announced on Saturday.
“We are still in shock by the sudden and rapidly developing symptoms,” his wife Işıl Reçber said on Instagram.
The ex-Barcelona, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş keeper, 46, won 120 caps and was on the team when Turkey reached the 2002 World Cup semi-finals
Işıl said she and her two children have tested negative for the virus.
Rüştü, who retired in 2012, played for Turkey in 124 international games and helped Turkey win a third-place finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.
“We convey our wishes for a speedy recovery to our former national team goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber, who sported our jersey for many years; we want him to regain his health as soon as possible and hope to receive good news from him,” Fenerbahçe said on Twitter.
Barcelona wrote on Twitter in Turkish: “Get well Rüştü! We love you, and we as Barcelona stand with you!”
Işıl Reçber, who returned from a visit to the US on March 16, attracted widespread criticism when she was seen in public before the end of a 14-day quarantine, which had to be observed by those coming from abroad after the first case of COVID-19 was announced in Turkey on March 11.