Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, in Gondomar, near Porto, on Saturday morning following the tragic car crash
Players, Coaching Staff and Representatives of Liverpool FC arrive at a funeral held for Diogo Jota
Dozens of figures from the world of football attended the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva
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Image: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to attend the Jota was laid to rest alongside his brother Andre Silva at a church in Gondomar, near Porto, in Portugal in Spain.
Jota's teammates and those from the Portugal national team, as well as his former teammates from were .
Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson were seen carrying red floral tributes into the church, while Portugal stars , Bernardo Silva and Joao Neves were also present inside the Chapel of the Resurrection.
Neves, who played with Jota for Wolves and Portugal, was , having flown over from the United States after playing at the Club World Cup for Al-Hilal. But , who is Portugal captain, was not among the mourners attending the funeral, which was conducted by priest Jose Manuel Macedo at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar catholic church.
Football understands Ronaldo was wary of appearing in the tiny town of Gondomar and his presence overshadowing the farewell to his team-mate and younger brother. He has been keeping a low profile in recent days, surrounded by his family.
Ronaldo did post an emotional tribute to Jota on social media after the tragic news broke on Thursday. He wrote: "It doesn't make sense. We were just together in the national team, and you had just gotten married.
"To your family, your wife and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the . I know you will always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you."
Alongside Van Dijk and Robertson were fellow Liverpool stars Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and manager . Ex-Liverpool players in , and James Milner were also present.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo played alongside Diogo Jota for Portugal
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Image:
Mikolaj Barbanell/Getty Images)
Jota and his brother died after in north west Spain and caught fire in the early hours of Thursday morning. The funeral followed a on Friday, which was , and the player's family.
Reacting to the heartbreaking news, the Portuguese Federation said in a statement: “Diogo Jota was not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the national team, but also an extraordinary person who was respected by all his team-mates and opponents. He had a contagious joy and was a reference point in his own community.
“On behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation and myself, I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Diogo and Andre as well as FC and FC Penafiel, the respective clubs of the players.
“We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything we can to honour their legacy every day.”