Cristiano Ronaldo Missing Jota’s Funeral and His Recent Activities

Cristiano Ronaldo has been photographed for the first time since choosing not to attend the funeral of Diogo Jota, who tragically died in a traffic accident last week.

Jota, 28, and his brother, Andre Silva, 25, died early Thursday morning in a car crash in northern Spain. The accident occurred just 11 days after Jota married his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso, with whom he shared two sons, Dinis and Duarte, and a baby daughter, Mafalda.

They were buried in Gondomar, Portugal, on Saturday afternoon, with many of Jota’s Portuguese international teammates, including Bernardo Silva and Ruben Neves, paying their respects. However, Ronaldo did not attend, reportedly due to personal reasons related to past tragedies, including the loss of his father.

Instead of attending the funeral, Ronaldo was seen holidaying on a yacht in Mallorca with his partner, Georgina Rodriguez. Many believe he has been aboard the £5.5 million Azimut Grande yacht since before the service, though Portuguese media suggest he may have remained in Spain to avoid overshadowing the memorial.

Ronaldo’s absence drew some criticism, but his sister, Katia Aveiro, defended his decision on social media. She shared her own experiences of loss and emphasized that sometimes privacy is necessary during moments of grief.

Ronaldo previously shared the pitch with Jota during recent national team matches, including Portugal’s victory in the UEFA Nations League on June 8, where Jota came off the bench. Following Jota’s passing, Ronaldo expressed his condolences on social media:

“It doesn’t make sense. We were just together in the national team, and you had just gotten married. To your family, your wife, and children, I send my condolences. Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.”