It’s been a rough week in the football world. On July 3, news spread that Diogo Jota the Liverpool and Portugal forward and his younger brother, André Silva, had both died in a car accident in Portugal.
The news hit hard. It wasn’t just fans who felt it it shook the whole football world.
Jota was only 27, His brother was even younger. Just like that, two young lives gone. Two families completely torn apart.
Over the weekend, they held a private funeral in Portugal. A few of Jota’s current and former teammates were there to pay their respects. Faces from Liverpool and Portugal’s national team showed up.
But one person’s absence stood out Cristiano Ronaldo.
He wasn’t at the funeral. And before long, the media, especially in Portugal, started talking. Some fans felt disappointed.
Some pundits had a go at him. And social media, well, it did what it always does jumped to conclusions without knowing the full story.
Then Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, stepped in. She posted a few things on Instagram. It wasn’t some PR speech just raw, emotional stuff. She opened up about why her brother didn’t attend, and she didn’t hold back against the people throwing shade at him.
“When my father died, apart from the pain of losing him, we also had to deal with cameras everywhere at the chapel, at the cemetery, outside. We couldn’t even step outside. That was back then. Now, attention is worse,” she wrote on Instagram.
This wasn’t just emotion talking. It came from experience. Back in 2005, when their dad Dinis Aveiro passed away, Cristiano was just breaking through at Manchester United.
Katia remembered how hard it was. Not just the pain of losing someone, but the chaos around it. And now, watching the same kind of circus surround another grieving family it hit a nerve.
“People don’t understand the pressure. Imagine going to say goodbye to someone and suddenly all the attention is on you not the family, not the people who are mourning, but you. That’s not respectful,” she added.
To people outside, Ronaldo not showing up might’ve looked cold. But Katia made it clear it wasn’t about not caring. It was about showing respect.
“It’s getting exhausting. The constant need to point fingers. The criticism over nothing... We all have families. And instead of honoring the pain of a family torn apart by tragedy, they focus on someone who quietly chose not to be there. It’s shameful,” she wrote.
Her posts hit hard. They reminded people that footballers aren’t robots. They’ve got emotions. They handle grief how it makes sense to them just like anyone would. Being famous doesn’t mean they owe the world an explanation for everything they do.
Cristiano hasn’t said a word about it. And honestly, that’s not a surprise. He usually stays quiet in times like this. He’s used to the media twisting things sometimes fair, but often way off.
People have called him arrogant, selfish, even cold. It’s always been like that. But if you ask the people who’ve actually been around him. Teammates, coaches, even close friends they’ll tell you he’s not like what people say.
Respecting the Silence
The truth is, grief’s a personal thing. Some people want to be there in the thick of it. Others step back.
Ronaldo’s with Al-Nassr right now, doing pre-season stuff in Saudi Arabia. Maybe he felt showing up would’ve made things worse for everyone.
Think about it anywhere Ronaldo goes, it’s chaos. Cameras follow him. Fans crowd around. Reporters swarm. At a funeral, that kind of spotlight isn’t just awkward it’s disruptive.
This wasn’t supposed to be about him. It was about Diogo Jota, André Silva, and the family left behind. Maybe Ronaldo thought staying away was the best way to let them grieve in peace, without turning it into a media event.
Jota’s Impact on Portugal
Jota wasn’t just another footballer. He was one of the rising ones. Sharp on the ball, calm in front of goal, always making smart runs.
From Paços de Ferreira to With Portugal, he always showed up when it mattered whether someone got injured or the tactics had to change.
When people heard he passed, it left everyone shocked. And tributes poured in from everywhere.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot said in a recent interview: “Jota was one of those players who never complained, never made it about himself. Always worked hard, always gave 100 percent. It’s hard to believe he’s gone.”
Portugal captain Bruno Fernandes posted, “You were one of us always smiling, always fighting. Rest easy, brother.”
A Family’s Private Grief Made Public
What hurts most in all of this is how it turned into another online debate. Instead of focusing on Jota and his brother, or just giving the family a bit of space, some folks online made it into drama arguing over who came to the funeral and who didn’t.
For the Aveiro family, this isn’t new. They’ve seen this kind of behavior before. But it still stings.
Football fans always say they want players to be real. To show emotion. To act like normal people. But the moment they do something personal like grieving in their own way they get judged. That’s the double standard.
Fans Speak Out
Even fans are split on this. On Twitter, one person wrote:
“I’m not even a big Ronaldo fan, but I get why he stayed away. Sometimes showing up in person just makes things more difficult for everyone.” Let the man grieve how he wants.”
Another user posted:
“It’s always the same with Ronaldo. He can never do right in some people’s eyes. The guy’s been carrying Portugal on his back for years, and suddenly he’s the bad guy for not going to a funeral?”
Of course, not everyone agreed. Some folks think that with Ronaldo being who he is, he should’ve been there, no excuses.
But let’s be honest, grief doesn’t come with a rulebook. And it shouldn’t.
A Deep Look
This whole situation shows something bigger. In football today, everything’s watched. Every move is caught on camera.
Every word gets picked apart, Even when something tragic happens, it still becomes a topic for clicks.
Players aren’t just expected to feel. They’re expected to perform their feelings in ways that make people happy.
Ronaldo didn’t do that this time. He stayed silent. And maybe that silence was the most respectful thing he could’ve done.
While others rushed to react, he stayed out of the spotlight. Whether you agree with that choice or not it’s still his to make. And that counts.
Wanderlustsport Take
Jota and André should be remembered for the people they were not for who didn’t show up at their funeral. Two young men, taken too soon. A family trying to deal with the pain no one can imagine. That’s what truly matters.
Ronaldo might not have been there in person, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t feel the pain or that he didn’t care.
As Katia Aveiro said in her last post:
“People forget we’re not machines. My brother is human. And sometimes, the most human thing you can do is say nothing, stay quiet, and let the ones who are hurting grieve without turning it into a show.”
And that’s something we all need to remember especially now, when the world seems to forget.