Exactly one month after Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a tragic traffic accident in Northern Spain, the shock still lingers not only in Portuguese football but also around the world .
Jota died just 11 days after marrying her long-term partner Rute Cardoso. She and her three young children – Dinis, 4, Duarte, 2, and an 8-month-old baby girl named Mafalda – are now left to bear the brunt of the loss.
Jota's funeral took place in his hometown of Gondomar, with the presence of many national team players such as Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva... However, legendary captain Cristiano Ronaldo was absent - a detail that confused many people and quickly became the focus of criticism on social networks.
"A great injustice"
In the face of criticism aimed at Ronaldo, Mr. Pedro Proenca - President of the Portuguese Football Federation - spoke up to defend the national team captain.
“It is a huge injustice to say Cristiano is distant in this matter,” said Mr Proenca.
“From the beginning, Ronaldo has been with us, one of the people most closely connected to the national team family and to Jota's own blood family.
He felt this loss as deeply as anyone. His physical absence did not mean his spiritual absence – he never left this family.”
Although they have never played together at club level, Ronaldo and Jota are close teammates on the Portuguese national team. Both were part of the Selecao's two UEFA Nations League triumphs in 2019 and 2025, playing a total of 32 games together.
Immediately after the accident, Ronaldo shared his feelings on social media:
“I can't believe it… Just recently we were together, you just got married.
Sending my deepest condolences to his family, wife and children. Wishing them the strength to get through this.
Rest in peace, Diogo and André. We will always miss you.”
Intentional absence?
According to several sources close to Ronaldo, the reason he did not attend the funeral was because he did not want his presence – with its overwhelming level of fame – to accidentally overshadow the memorial space for Jota and his brother. However, that explanation did not seem to calm the angry emotions on social media.
Once again, Ronaldo's sister - Katia Aveiro - had to speak up to defend her brother on her personal Instagram.
“When my father passed away, in addition to the pain of losing a loved one, we also had to endure the scrutiny of cameras and curious crowds at the cemetery, everywhere we went.
Back then, the level of media attention was not as high as it is now. I don’t remember who was there, I don’t remember who expressed condolences. The pain left me confused.”
Katia also criticized the public for focusing on Ronaldo's absence instead of sharing the great pain that Jota's family has to bear.
“We live in a sick society where people judge rather than sympathise. Ronaldo’s decision not to attend the funeral was a wise one, but it has become the focus of criticism.
People should be focusing on remembering two children of a family that has just suffered a terrible loss, not turning the funeral into a topic of discussion about an absence.”
Pain does not need to be shown
Ronaldo’s story raises an important question: do empathy and sharing necessarily have to be expressed in physical presence? In many cases, silence and discretion are the deepest expressions of respect.
For Cristiano Ronaldo – who has played alongside Diogo Jota in dozens of matches, sharing moments of glory and stumbling – perhaps, no one needs to teach him how to grieve properly.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/ronaldo-va-su-vang-mat-gay-tranh-cai-tai-tang-le-diogo-jota-mot-su-bat-cong-158370.html
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