Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend Diogo Jota’s funeral to avoid disrupting the event. Ronaldo did not appear at the funeral of Jota and his brother Andre Silva at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar Catholic Church on the morning of July 5, nor at the memorial service at the Sao Cosme Chapel the day before.

Ronaldo holds Diogo Jota’s arm in the Portugal vs Czech Republic Euro 2024 Group F match at Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany on June 18, 2024. Photo: AFP

According to the British newspaper Mirror, the Portuguese captain was afraid that his appearance in the small town of Gondomar would overshadow the farewell ceremony for the Jota brothers. The 40-year-old striker is said to have considered carefully, and in the end, decided not to attend the funeral and funeral to avoid becoming the center of attention, causing distraction and losing the meaning of these events.

Portuguese newspaper Record added that Ronaldo had spoken to the Jota family to assure them that he would always be by their side and support them. He also explained the reason for his absence from the funeral of Jota and his brother.

Ronaldo is said to be vacationing on a $7.5 million yacht in Majorca, Spain.

After hearing the news of Jota’s death, Ronaldo paid tribute to his Portugal team-mate on social media.

“This is absurd. Not long ago we were together in the national team. Not long ago you got married,” Ronaldo wrote. “My condolences to Jota’s family, his wife and his children, and I wish them all the best. I know you will always be there for them. Rest in peace Diogo and Andre. We will miss you.”

Jota and his brother Andre da Silva were involved in an accident on a bend on the A‑52 motorway in Cernadilla, Zamora province in western Spain on July 3. Their car suffered a tire blowout, causing it to lose control, flip several times and catch fire. Rescue and medical teams were immediately called, but both died at the scene.

Yesterday, many Liverpool players, including Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and coach Arne Slot, along with members of the Portuguese national team, including Bernardo Silva, Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves and coach Roberto Martinez, were present at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church to pay their respects to Jota. Former Liverpool players Caoimhin Kelleher, Jordan Henderson and James Milner were also present.

Alisson Becker posts farewell photo of Diogo Jota.

Alisson was another star who did not attend Jota’s funeral. In an Instagram post, Alisson, Jota’s Liverpool teammate since 2020, said the ocean separated him from “saying goodbye” to someone he loved.

“Usually I post meaningful things, but today, everything seems meaningless! Once again, the ocean separated me from ‘saying goodbye’ to someone I love! But I know that my teammates at the club did it for me!”, the Brazilian wrote, posting a black-and-white photo of himself with Natalia, Jota, Rute and their children.

Alisson described Jota – who passed away less than two weeks after he and Rute married – as a “wonderful friend, father and husband”. The 32-year-old goalkeeper ended his post by quoting Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which talks about there being a season for every purpose under heaven, including “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”