Cristiano Ronaldo Addresses Absence from Diogo Jota's Funeral
Football star Cristiano Ronaldo was notably absent from the funeral of his late Portugal teammate Diogo Jota earlier this year. Jota, along with his brother Andre Silva, tragically died in a car accident in July, which deeply saddened the football world.
While some of Jota's club and international teammates attended the funeral, Ronaldo chose not to be there. In a detailed interview with Piers Morgan, the 40-year-old explained his reasons for skipping the service.
Ronaldo’s Reasons for Not Attending
“Two things; people criticise me a lot. I don’t care about that. When your conscience is good and free, you don’t have to worry about what people say. But one of the things I don’t do? After my father died, I have never been to a cemetery again."
"When you know me and you know my reputation? Wherever I go, it is a circus. I don’t go out because, if I go, the attention goes to me. I don’t want this sort of attention."
He added that attending such ceremonies often leads to unwanted attention that he tries to avoid, especially at sensitive moments.
“I don’t like it when you go to a sensitive moment to do interviews, to speak about him, to speak about football. This shows how a circus is life, sometimes. If you want to be a part of this world, good luck, but I will be a part of another side. People can continue to criticise.”
Summary
Cristiano Ronaldo explained that he avoided Diogo Jota's funeral to protect his privacy and avoid public attention, reflecting on the impact of his father’s death and his well-known public profile.