What Cristiano Ronaldo told Diogo Jota’s wife & parents ahead of funeral as Portugal captain’s absence explained

The two were driving back to the UK when their car reportedly suffered a tyre blowout while overtaking on the notoriously dangerous A-52 highway, causing it to veer off the road and catch fire.

As is customary in Portugal, the funeral was held in Jota’s hometown of Gondomar on Saturday morning, with Liverpool manager Arne Slot and several players in attendance.

Although Ronaldo had shared a heartfelt tribute to his former Portugal teammate on social media, he did not attend the funeral in person.

Alongside the Liverpool squad, other Portuguese internationals such as Bernardo Silva, Diogo Dalot, João Cancelo, and Rúben Neves were present to pay their respects.

While many expected Ronaldo to attend, reports indicate he chose to remain in Majorca with his family, where he was seen vacationing aboard his yacht.

According to Record, Ronaldo made the decision to stay away to avoid his attendance causing a ‘media circus’ at the funeral due to his high profile.

Instead, the Al Nassr forward personally reached out to Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, assuring her that he would always be there for her and their three children.

However, his absence drew criticism from some, including sports journalist Luís Cristóvão, who described it as “inexplicable” given Ronaldo’s role as Portugal’s captain.

He said: “Being inexplicable, any justification will fall short of the shortcoming he committed with his absence.”

Shortly after news of Jota’s fatal accident were made public, Ronaldo took to social media to release a statement and send condolences to his family.

Ronaldo wrote: “It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you had gotten married. To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. “Rest in Peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you.”