Diogo Jota: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Sister Explains Why He Missed Liverpool Star’s Funeral

• Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother tragically passed away in a car accident on Thursday, July 3
• Jota and André Silva were laid to rest on July 5, and the burial was attended by many Portugal national team stars
• Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was not at the funeral, and his sister has given the reason for his absence

Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister has opened up on her brother’s reason for missing Diogo Jota's funeral after the Liverpool star was laid to rest in Gondomar on Saturday.

Jota and his brother André Silva passed away in the early hours of Thursday after their Lamborghini lost control and caught fire on impact in the Zamora region of Spain.

The national team player was on his way to catch a ferry to England for pre-season training after he was advised not to fly by his doctors following a long surgery.

Why Ronaldo missed Jota's funeral

The two brothers were laid to rest in their hometown of Gondomar on Saturday, and it was attended by current Liverpool and Portugal national team players.

Portugal's captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, was inexplicably absent at the funeral, raising suspicion among the fans that the team's leader and the country’s greatest player did not attend.

According to Mirror UK, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner avoided the scene, so as not to be the centre of attention for the fans at a sad gathering.

Ronaldo's sister, Katia Aveiro, a constant defender of her brother, has opened up on the personal reason and corroborated the earlier claims, which explained why the Al-Nassr superstar missed the funeral.

“When our father passed away, we couldn’t even leave the chapel because of the cameras and onlookers. I can’t imagine what it would be like now with Cristiano’s level of attention.

"At no time were we (the children) able to leave the chapel; it was only possible at the time of the burial, such was the commotion,” she said on Instagram as quoted by Mail Sport.

“About pain and family and real support. You will never know what it means until you go through it. If someone sends me a message criticising anything my brother does, I will block them.”

She directed everyone to focus on grieving with the Jota family and not make Ronaldo the centre of attention in a tragic matter.

“We all have families. It is absurdly shameful to watch social networks emphasising an absence rather than respectfully honouring the pain of a mutilated family destroyed by the loss of two brothers. I am even ashamed to watch. Regrettable.”

Ronaldo’s father, Jose Diniz Aveiro, a former Portuguese soldier, passed away in 2005 when he was 20 and a fast-rising prospect at Manchester United.

Liverpool postponed pre-season training

Legit.ng reported that Liverpool postponed pre-season training in honour of Diogo Jota's death after most of his teammates flew to Portugal to attend his funeral.

Head coach Arne Slot, who was also at the service in Gondomar, shifted the date for the resumption of pre-season training by a day to Tuesday, July 8, 2025.

Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng