Emotional moment Ronaldo reveals why he didn’t attend tragic Portugal teammate Diogo Jota’s funeral after supercar crash

THIS is the emotional moment Cristiano Ronaldo broke his silence on why he didn’t attend his Portugal teammate Diogo Jota’s funeral.

The late Liverpool star tragically died aged 28 alongside his brother and fellow football player Andre Silva in a car crash in July.

On not attending the funeral, Ronaldo explained there were two main reasons he decided not to go.

He told Piers Morgan Uncensored: “Two things, people criticize 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 the people say.

“But one of the things that I don’t do, it’s after my father died, I’ve never been in a cemetery again.

“And second… you know my reputation, wherever I go is a circus. I don’t go also because if I go, the attention goes for me and I don’t want this kind of attention.”

He concluded: “People can continue to criticize me… I felt good with my decision. I don’t need to be in the first line for people to see me… I’m planning the things, I’m thinking about his family, I don’t need to be in the cameras for the people to see what I do. I do [it] behind the scenes, my friend.”

Paying tribute to his friend, the Portugal superstar spoke of his devastation about finding out about Jota’s tragic death.

The ex-Man Utd ace recalled: “I didn’t believe when they sent me messages. I cry a lot… It was very, very difficult moment for everybody – for the country, for families, for friends, for teammates, devastating.

“Very, very, very sad news… It was a shock moment. We still feel the aura there in the national team, when you put on the shirt, because Diogo was one of us.”

Ronaldo described his late pal Jota as a quiet and level-headed player, and revealed that he spoke to his grieving family following the tragic news.

“He was a very good guy, a quiet guy, and, a good player, as you know, but very, how you say, not a guy that speaks too much…I really liked to meet [with] him, to share with him some great moments. It was sad,” he added.

“I had the opportunity to speak with their family and to give support, because… everything is gone because of one moment.”

Jota and his brother Andre both died when the Reds striker’s Lamborghini crashed on the A52 highway in Zamora province, northern Spain.

The Portuguese forward’s flat tyre suddenly burst which sent the car veering off the road.

He was laid to rest after a heartbreaking funeral attended by his family, friends and Liverpool teammates on July 6.

Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk and defender Andy Robertson led virtually the entire Reds squad carrying wreaths emblazoned with Diogo’s number 20 and André’s number 30.

Team coach Arne Slot joined the black-suited group along with stars including Joe Gomez, Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister, Ibrahima Konate, Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones.

They were also joined by former teammates James Milner and Jordan Henderson.

But Ronaldo was not present during the emotional service.

As family, friends and teammates said goodbye to Jota and his brother in their hometown in Portugal, mourners were paying their respects over 1,000 miles away at Anfield.

Relatives and friends filed into the church in Gondomar, northern Portugal – the same place where Diogo had got married just 13 days earlier.

A sea of floral tributes were left outside the stadium as fans gathered to pay tribute to the star.

Flags were lowered to half-mast at Anfield – while club stores, museums and tours were closed temporarily.

Dad-of-three Jota had only married his long-time partner Rute Cardoso two weeks before his death, with the organist who entertained the couple on their wedding performing at the funeral mass.

Portugal’s head coach Roberto Martinez spoke outside the church after the ceremony.

He said it was “essential” for Portugal to show “we are together,” adding the brothers’ spirits will be “with us forever”.

He said: “So thank you very much for your messages and for your support and everything that we receive [from] all over the world.

“Today we are all one football family.”

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