Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend the funeral of his teammate Diogo Jota, who died tragically in a car crash along with his brother Andre Silva on July 4.
At the same time, the footballer was spotted on holiday with his family on a yacht off the coast of Mallorca.
Why Ronaldo Didn't Attend Jota's Funeral
The funeral of 28-year-old Jota took place on Saturday in the Portuguese city of Gondomar. Many of his teammates, including Bernardo Silva and Ruben Neves, came to pay their respects, but Ronaldo did not attend.
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According to Portuguese media, Ronaldo did not want to attend the ceremony because he was suffering from personal losses. He also allegedly did not want to attract undue attention to himself, so as not to overshadow the pain of Jota's family.
– It doesn't make any sense. Just recently we were together in the national team, just recently you got married. I send my sincerest condolences to your family, wife and children and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you, – Cristiano wrote on social media.
Critics who expressed dissatisfaction with Ronaldo's absence from the funeral were shamed by his sister, singer Katia Aveiro. In an emotional Instagram story, she recalled how difficult it was for the family to cope with the death of their father.
“When our father died, we couldn't even leave the chapel – there was such attention. And that was when there wasn't such a level of access to everything. What can we say now,” she noted.
The footballer's sister added that she would not allow anyone to criticise her brother for his decision and called society “sick” and the emphasis on Ronaldo's absence “shameful and offensive”.
