Cristiano Ronaldo‘s absence from the funeral of Diogo Jota‘s brother Andre Silva has generated intense debate in Portugal. The Al-Nassr striker, who shared a dressing room for years with Jota in the Portuguese national team, did not attend the ceremony held in Gondomar, which earned him numerous criticisms justifying that, at least as captain, he should have been present.
However, his entourage justifies the decision: Ronaldo has avoided attending funerals for years for personal reasons and so as not to distract attention with his presence. The Portuguese newspaper Record revealed that Ronaldo has been suffering from a trauma with this type of public event since 2005, when his father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, passed away.
Since then, the player prefers to stay out of the media spotlight in situations of mourning. According to this information, Cristiano himself wanted to avoid his presence turning the farewell into an event focused on him.
His sister Katia defends him
In any case, in response to criticism over Cristiano’s absence, his sister Katia Aveiro reacted harshly on social media: “We all have family. It is absurdly shameful to see how television channels, commentators and social networks emphasize an absence instead of honoring with respect the pain of a mutilated family, destroyed by the loss of two brothers. It even embarrasses me to see it. It is unfortunate”.
“About pain, family and real support… You will never know what it means until you experience it.When my father died, in addition to the pain of the loss, we had to deal with an avalanche of cameras and onlookers at the cemetery and wherever we went,” she added. A clear message that seeks to settle the controversy at a time marked by pain.
It is absurdly embarrassing to see how television channels, commentators and social networks emphasize an absence instead of respectfully honoring the pain of a mutilated family
Despite not being physically present at the Igreja da Lapa in Porto, Ronaldo did pay public tribute through his social networks: “It doesn’t make sense, we were still together in the national team… Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We will miss you.” Also, according to the local press, he sent a private message of support to the family of the Liverpool footballer.
Other members of the Portuguese national team such as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Ruben Neves were present at the funeral, as well as former Liverpool teammates such as Van Dijk. Neves, in fact, took part as a pallbearer despite having played a match with Al-Hilal just hours earlier
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