Jota and his younger sibling Andre Silva, a player for Penafiel in Portugal’s second division, lost their lives in a tragic car accident that took place during the early hours of July 3 near Zamora, located in the northwest of Spain. ..Continue Reading
According to the Spanish Guardia Civil, their vehicle—a green Lamborghini—veered off the road following a tyre burst while attempting to overtake another car.
The two were en route to Santander to board a ferry bound for England, ahead of Liverpool’s pre-season preparations.
Loved ones, fellow players, and members of the community came together to honor Jota and Silva at their funeral, held in Gondomar on July 5. Ronaldo, however, opted not to be present.
In a conversation with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo addressed his choice to skip the farewell ceremony for his former teammate.
When asked about his whereabouts upon learning of Jota’s death, Ronaldo said: “I was with Gio alone in our period of rest. I was there in the gym in the morning with Gio. I didn’t believe it when they sent me messages. I cried a lot. Gio can confirm that.”
“It was a very, very difficult moment for the country, for families, for friends, for teammates,” added Ronaldo. “A disaster. Very, very, very sad news.”
Morgan then questioned Ronaldo about his decision not to attend.
“You didn’t attend his funeral, and your sister responded to people who were raising questions by saying on social media that you just didn’t want to turn the whole thing into an unnecessary circus with too much attention on you,” said Morgan. “Is that really what you were thinking?”
Ronaldo responded: “Two things. People criticise me a lot. As I say, I don’t care about that because when you feel your conscience is good, free, you don’t have to be worried about what people say.
“One of the things I don’t do is, after my father died, I’ve never been in a cemetery again.
“Second, as you say and you mentioned, you know me and you know my reputation. Wherever I go, it’s a circus. I don’t go because if I go, the attention goes from me and I don’t want this kind of attention.
“I saw — and I’m not criticising, I just say that I didn’t like it — when you go in a sensitive moment to do interviews, to speak about him, to speak about football. Come on guys, what is this? This show, our circus, is life sometimes.
“I’m not part of that. If you want to be part of this world, good luck; I’m going to be on the other side.”
He concluded: “People can continue to criticise me. I felt good with my decision. I don’t need to be in the first line for people to see me. I’m thinking about his family, I don’t need to be in the cameras for the people to see what I do.”
At the time, Ronaldo’s sister Katia Aveiro responded to the backlash with a heartfelt post online.
“When our father passed away, we couldn’t even leave the chapel because of the cameras and onlookers,” she wrote on Instagram. “I can’t imagine what it would be like now with Cristiano’s level of attention.”
She added: “It’s shameful that people focus more on an absence than on the real pain of a family torn apart by loss.”
During the interview with Morgan, Ronaldo referred to Jota as a “very good guy”. He added: “I really liked to meet (with) him, to share with him some great moments. It was sad. I had the opportunity to speak with their family and to give support.”
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