Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca has leapt to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo after the veteran striker was accused of snubbing the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva.
Liverpool star Jota and Silva, who played for Penafiel in the Portuguese second division, were killed in a car crash in northern Spain on July 3 and buried two days later.
Ronaldo and Jota were members of the Portugal squad that won the Nations League in June but the national team captain, who plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, opted not to attend the funeral and instead remained on a family holiday in Majorca.
‘Immensely unfair to criticise Cristiano’
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star was accused of a lack of respect but Proenca said he was heavily active behind the scenes.
He told Expresso: “It is immensely unfair to say that Cristiano was somehow cold in relation to this matter.
“From the first hour, the captain was one of the people who was most with the national team family, and the blood family of Jota himself.
“It’s an injustice what they said about our captain Cristiano Ronaldo. He was one of those who felt it most because he was a true companion of Jota.
“His physical absence means nothing because he never abandoned this family.”
Ronaldo still scoring goals for Portugal
Ronaldo scored in the Nations League final win over Spain, extending his own international record of goals to 138. It was also his eighth in nine Nations League games – second only to Arsenal and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Some Portugal fans believe it is time for coach Roberto Martinez to move on from 40-year-old Ronaldo but Proenca says his international career will end the same way as everyone else’s.
He added: “Cristiano will leave the national team either of his own free will or because he is eventually no longer a technical or sporting option. It will happen to Cristiano as with any other player.
“This does not prevent us from saying that we would like Cristiano to be in our national team for many years. He is, if not the best, definitely one of the best Portuguese players of all time.
“He is a brand that goes beyond Portugal and I wish Cristiano could be eternal. Obviously, human nature has limits.”
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2025-08-01 14:23:06
