Cristiano Ronaldo Among 10 Real Madrid Players to Pass Anti-Doping Test

Cristiano Ronaldo and nine of his Real Madrid team-mates have successfully passed anti-doping tests carried out by UEFA.

Tomas Roncero of AS reported "a surprise visit" from the organisation's so-called "vampires" after Madrid's training session on Thursday. This is the second time Los Blancos' players have faced examination this season after they were targeted prior to August's UEFA Super Cup final victory over Sevilla.

Random drug screenings continue to gain interest after Lionel Messi suggested he was deliberately selected to carry out a double test—offering both urine and blood—to Spain's Anti-Doping Agency. B/R UK's tweet highlighted Messi's Instagram post on the matter:

Enrique Gomez Bastida, director of the nation's anti-doping procedures, confirmed Messi's selection was "totally random" and that each club from Spain's top two divisions should understand one of their quintet will be selected to undergo a double testing session during the campaign, as reported by Juan Gutierrez of AS.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

It's important to stress UEFA and the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency carry out independent evaluations. Ronaldo and his team-mates were subject of the European governing body's checks, with Los Blancos offering twice as many players compared to the domestic tests.

Bastida confirmed "there are just five" clubs in the top two tiers of Spanish football who are yet to be visited, as noted by Gutierrez. Odds are that Real Madrid, and perhaps Ronaldo, have already completed this inspection as well.

The subject of doping continues to bubble under in Spain. Inaki Badiola, the former president of Real Sociedad, previously admitted the club paid controversial doctor Eufemiano Fuentes for "strange medicines." Badiola insisted this happened before he arrived in 2008 but claimed his predecessors "acquired substances which were not authorised."

Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Fuentes was sentenced to a one-year prison sentence in 2013. This came after he was found guilty of "breaking public health laws by giving some of the world's top cyclists blood transfusions and banned drugs to improve performance," per Giles Tremlett of The Guardian. It is claimed he also worked with Spanish Champions League teams. 

Such instances highlight why testing has become so vigorous in football. This isn't an out of the ordinary occurrence, and before Messi's questioning, it gained little traction. Many will be pleased to see the world's top stars tested multiple times throughout the season, as a failure to do so would seriously question the legitimacy of the game.