The president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proenca, has publicly come out in defense of Cristiano Ronaldo, after the Portugal captain faced a wave of criticism for missing the funeral of his teammate, Diogo Jota.
The football world was shocked last month when Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed in a tragic car crash in northern Spain. The tragedy came just days after Jota married his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three young children.
Although well-known figures of the national team such as Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva were present at the funeral ceremony in Gondomar, Ronaldo decided not to attend, which caused numerous reactions and criticism on social networks.
According to sources close to the Al-Nassr striker, the decision not to attend was made to avoid drawing attention away from the main purpose of the ceremony: honoring the lives of Jota and his brother.
The president of the Portuguese Federation, Proenca, called the accusations against Ronaldo unfair and unfounded.
"It is a great injustice to say that Cristiano was cold in this case," said Proenca. "From the first moments, our captain has been by our side and by Jota's family. He was one of those who felt this loss most deeply, because he was a true teammate. His physical absence does not change anything, because he never abandoned this family."
Ronaldo's sister, Katia Aveiro, also reacted harshly to the critics. In an emotional post on Instagram, she recalled the time when their family lost their father and experienced the pressure of the media and curious people, emphasizing that true pain is not visible from the outside.
"It's a shame to see commentators and social media outlets dealing with a loss, instead of honoring the pain of a devastated family," Katia wrote.
Ronaldo and Jota never played together at club level, but shared many moments with the Portuguese national team, including triumphs in the Nations League in 2019 and 2025, playing 32 matches together.
After news of the accident, Ronaldo reacted with a touching message on social media: "It doesn't make sense. We were together in the National Team just a short time ago, you had just gotten married. Condolences to your family, wife and children. Rest in peace Diogo and André. We will all miss you."
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