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Journalism of Courage
After Portugal star Diogo Jota died in an accident in July, a lot of people came to the footballer’s funeral but Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t one of them. The Portugal talisman had been Jota’s teammate for the national country and there were a lot of chatter when Ronaldo did not not turn up. The Al Nassr player opened up about the incident, saying that he chose to stay away because if he had gone there, the attention would invariably shift to him and he did not want that to happen in a sensitive moment like that.
Ronaldo also said that he had avoided going to the cemetery since his father passed away. “Two things; people criticise me a lot. I don’t care about that. When your conscience is good and free, you don’t have to worry about what people say. But one of the things I don’t do? After my father died, I have never been to a cemetery again. When you know me and you know my reputation? Wherever I go, it is a circus. I don’t go out because, if I go, the attention goes to me. I don’t want this sort of attention,” Ronaldo said in a chat with broadcaster Piers Morgan on his YouTube show.
“I don’t like it when you go to a sensitive moment to do interviews, to speak about him, to speak about football. C’mon guys, what is this? This shows how life is a circus, sometimes. I am not a part of that. If you want to be a part of this world, good luck, but I will be a part of another side. People can continue to criticise. I felt good with my decision,” he added.
After Jota had passed away, Ronaldo had written a heartfelt tribute towards his fallen comrade on X. “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,” he wrote.
Jota made 49 appearances for Portugal since his debut in 2019 and joined Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2020, making 182 appearances for the club. Jota scored 65 goals and provided 26 assists for Liverpool, contributing to two Premier League titles, including the recently concluded 2024-25 season.
