Real Madrid have denied reports their captain Sergio Ramos failed a drug test before the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final.
German weekly Der Spiegel reported the defender failed to declare he had taken a banned substance.
Ramos had taken dexamethasone, and the captain went on to play the full 90 minutes in the final, which Real won 4-1 against Juventus, the report said.
The three-time defending European champions said in a statement that Ramos "has never breached the anti-doping control regulations," and that UEFA "closed the matter immediately," following the "verification of experts from the World Anti-Doping Agency, AMA, and UEFA itself."
Real Madrid's Spanish defender Sergio Ramos lies on the field after missing a goal opportunity during the Spanish league football match between Malaga CF and Real Madrid CF. /VCG Photo
The report also mentioned another incident after a La Liga game between Madrid and Malaga in this April, when an anti-doping officer reported that Ramos did not follow correct procedures by insisting on showering before taking a routine test after a game. Again, no further action was taken in this case.
Dexamethasone is a glucocorticoid on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The substance can have anti-inflammatory effects and increase concentration.
WADA does not prohibit players from taking it before games, as long as it is declared during a doping test.