Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed the real reason he did not attend the funeral of Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota.
Jota, 28, and his brother, Andre Silva, 26, tragically died on July 3 after their Lamborghini veered off a motorway in Spain. The Liverpool forward had married his childhood sweetheart just days before the fatal crash. Their funeral took place shortly after in Portugal, with several national team players present.
Ronaldo, however, was criticised in Portugal when photos surfaced of him holidaying with his family on a yacht in Mallorca.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo said he had made a personal vow never to enter a cemetery again after the death of his father, José Dinis Aveiro, nearly 20 years ago.
“People criticise me a lot, but my conscience is clear,” he said. “Since my father died, I’ve never been inside a cemetery again.”
He added that his presence at the funeral would have caused unwanted attention: “Wherever I go, it becomes a circus. I didn’t want the focus to be on me instead of the family. I felt my decision was the right one.”
Ronaldo stressed that he showed support privately: “I spoke with the family and offered my condolences away from cameras. I don’t need to be in the front line for people to see what I do.”
His absence had sparked debate at the time, prompting his sister Katia to defend him on social media. She recalled how their own father’s funeral had been overwhelmed by media and public attention, adding that criticism of Ronaldo was unfair and insensitive to the grieving family.
She described society’s reaction as “shameful,” saying that people were focusing on Ronaldo’s absence instead of respecting the immense pain of a family mourning two sons.
0 Comments