The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo due to the joint funerals of Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his football player Andre Silva today caused shock waves in their home country.
Portugal's most covered player and team captain was expected to fly to Gondomar near Porto to pay his last respect alongside Jota's club and country teammates yesterday and the funeral mass this morning.
But the 40-year-old three-year-old father was a no-show with a leading Majorcan newspaper who said he was on holiday on the island and was seen in two chic destinations on board his £ 5.5 million 88-foot long Azimut Grande Yacht, with five luxury cabins and six bathrooms.
Teammates from Liverpool, Bernardo Silva from Manchester City and Manchester United Full Back Diogo Dalot, both Portuguese national team players, belonged to the football players who packed the church this minores – the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar.
Portugal Internationals Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves, seen in tears on Friday evening before their club World Cup collision in Orlando also came to the church on time, together with Portugal manager Roberto Martinez who has been in the United States as a member of the FIFA Club World Cup Technical Study Group.
Portuguese journalist Antonio Ribeiro Cristovao said shortly before today's mass started: “He is the captain of the Portugal team. Many expected him to be present.
“Diogo Jota was part of the team. Maybe there are some reasons why we don't know.
“If he is not present, he must explain the reason. He has that responsibility. He is the captain.” Sports journalist and commentator Luis Cristovao called his absence “inexplicably” when the funeral mass started without Cristiano and said: “Because he is inexplicable, any justification will fail to fail to make his absence.”
And TV sports commentator Pedro Fatela, added of the no-show of the Al-Nassr striker: “This absence will be discussed a lot. There must be justifications in the coming days.
“We will know why Cristiano was unable to travel to Gondomar to be present at the moment, but he is the captain.
“We all expected, like all coaches and players were there, to have the captain next to his teammates.”
A football fan that commented on Cristiano's no-show on X said: “For Cristiano Ronaldo not to interrupt his vacation to appear at the funeral is something that is inadmable as a friend and as captain of Portugal.
“It was the least he should have done.”
Referring to Cristiano's emotional Instagram post After hearing about Diogo and brother Andre Silva's car crashing on the A-52 Highway near Zamora close to the northwestern border of Spain with Portugal in the early hours of Thursday morning, it is not just about “they are not just reports” “” “” “” “
Another Portuguese X user named Flavia, hint that Cristiano must have decided that he did not want to be the focus of fans and benefactors and detract from the funeral by attending: “People criticize Cristiano Ronaldo already because they did not show up at the name and funeral.
“People, I don't know if you realize what Cristiano Ronaldo means to Gondomar.
“I understand that it would be good for our captain to attend the funeral, but we cannot forget who Ronaldo is.
“I understand why he doesn't pop up.”
A follower who responded to her message agreed and said, “The problem is that many people have no respect and had a chance to see Ronaldo and not for Diogo.”
Local reports Cristiano were noted on his luxury yacht in Mallorca, last night for the first time on the eve of the funerals.
He placed an emotional tribute to the Liverpool and his football player Brother Andre Silva when he heard that they had died in the early hours of Thursday after crashing in a 200 mph £ 180,000 Lamborghini Huracan after a suspected tire bladder.
The brothers and sisters were on their way to the Spanish port city of So Diogo, who was advised against air travel after pulmonary operation, could take a ferry to the VK and go to Liverpool.
Reporting former frontman of Manchester United Cristiano was relaxed on the Balearic Islands, the respected Majorcan -newspaper Ultima Hora said yesterday: “Cristiano Ronaldo again chose Mallorca as a destination to enjoy his summer vacation.”
It then reported that the Portuguese star was seen in the chic resort of Illetes on the southwestern coast of Mallorca and the port of Andratx on board his £ 5.5 million yacht.
And it added: “Although on this occasion he was not seen outside his yacht, it is normal for the footballer to benefit from his stay on the island to train, go to high-class restaurants and enjoy family life.”
Cristiano was last vacation in Mallorca with his family three years ago.
An employee of the football player, who was thought to be one of his bodyguards, was injured during the break when the sports car he drove from the road and hit a stone wall that protected a house near the holiday home of Cristiano.
The Bugatti he crashed was one of the two cars that the former frontman of Manchester United had transferred to the Spanish island for his sunshine break.
Cristiano was reportedly in another vehicle in a small convoy with his loved ones when his employee got off the road after they had left their rented family house for a day out.
At the time, he was said to have instructed other employees to stay on site while continuing their journey.
The poorly damaged Bugatti was later driven away on a tow truck under a blue tarpaulin.
The owner of the Majorcan House hit by the Cristiano Ronaldo sports car then said that he had promised to pay the damage.
The nameless homeowner revealed that he was promised a fee after he showed up in his rented country house to try to talk to him.
In his Instagram primary to the new married Diogo and his brother Cristiano said: “Watching nowhere. Just now we were together in the national team, you were just married.
“For your family, to your wife and children, I send my participation and I wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rip Diogo and Andre we will miss you all.”
The old agent Jorge Mendes of Diogo Jota attended yesterday's Wake after trip to Spain to spend time with the deeply sad loved ones of the football player, including his widow Rute Cardoso, mother of their three children, trying to repatriate his body.
Cristiano has not yet explained his absence on his social media.
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