Cristiano Ronaldo explains why he didn't attend Diogo Jota's funeral as Portugal star says he wanted to avoid creating a 'circus'

Jota and his brother died in July this year after their Lamborghini suffered a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle and caught fire. Jota, 28, was traveling from Porto to Santander to catch a ferry back to England, as he had been advised not to fly after a recent lung surgery. The football world was left in shock and grief by the tragic news. Just 11 days before the crash, Jota had married his long-term partner, with whom he had three young children. Tributes poured in from teammates, former managers, clubs, and fans worldwide. Liverpool released a statement calling the loss "an unimaginable loss," while the Portuguese Football Federation was "completely devastated". 

At the time, Ronaldo said on social media: "Doesn’t make any sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you were married,’ he posted on social media. "To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. R.I.P. Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you."

The five-times Ballon d’Or winner came in for criticism after failing to attend the funeral of his tragic team-mate, and was spotted on holiday in Majorca, but has now explained the reasoning behind his no-show. 

Ronaldo told Piers Morgan Uncensored: "There's two things. People criticise me a lot and I don’t care about that because when you feel your conscience is good, you don’t need to worry about what people say. One of the things I don't do after my father died is go to a cemetery. Secondly, you know me and my reputation, wherever I go it's a circus. I don't go (to Jota's funeral) because the attention would be on me and I don't want that."

He added: "People can continue to criticise me but I felt good with my decision. I don’t need to go just so people can see me there. I was thinking of his family and I didn’t need the cameras to see things I do."

Ronaldo added: "I was with Gio (his partner Georgina Rodriguez) in the gym. I didn’t believe it when I saw the messages. I cried a lot. It was a very, very difficult moment for everyone; the country, fans, team-mates, families. 

"I really liked knowing him and sharing some great moments with him. I spoke to his family and gave them my support. It shows why you have to enjoy the moments and not think too much about the future. I'm not planning much in the long-term because everything can change in a moment. We have to be happy to be here, enjoy life because you don't know what's going to happen in the future. It was a shocking moment and we still feel it now. Diogo was one of us. He was a very good guy and a very good player.

"I really liked knowing him and sharing some great moments with him. I spoke to his family and gave them my support."

Jota passed four months ago, but is still remembered during every Liverpool home game as fans at Anfield give a minutes’ applause in the 20th minute- in tribute to the Portuguese’s shirt number. Trent Alexander-Arnold returned to Merseyside with Real Madrid and paid a touching tribute to his late former team-mate, laying flowers and an emotional handwritten message at the Liverpool memorial. The heartfelt gesture came as the England international revisited his old home ahead of Los Blancos' Champions League clash with the Reds on Tuesday night.