Cristiano Ronaldo's sister, Katia Aveiro, has defended the soccer superstar after he was criticized for not attending Diogo Jota's funeral.
Jota, alongside his brother Andre Silva, tragically passed away in a car accident on Thursday. A joint funeral ceremony took place in Gondomar, on the outskirts of Porto, on Saturday.
While many of Jota's teammates were present at the ceremony, Ronaldo opted not to attend, concerned that his high-profile status might detract from the solemnity of the occasion.
Ronaldo faced some flak for the decision, but his sister robustly defended him in a string of Instagram stories. She wrote: "When my father died, in addition to the pain of loss we had to deal with a flood of cameras and curious onlookers at the cemetery and everywhere we went.
"And attention was not what it is today in terms of access... At no time were we (the children) able to leave the chapel; it was only possible at the time of the burial, such was the commotion.
"At the funeral, there were presidents, coaches of the national team at the time, such as Luís Filipe Scolari, etc. I don't remember seeing any of them. And they certainly greeted me. The pain blinded me.
"About pain/family and real support... You will never know what it means until you go through it. If someone sends me a message criticizing anything my brother does, I will block it (completely ignore it), that is, they will only do it once.
"It's getting tiring. The fanaticism. The criticism for nothing, I repeat nothing... Sick society... We all have families.
Katia Aveiro alongside brother Cristiano Ronaldo
Katia Aveiro alongside brother Cristiano Ronaldo (Image: Instagram)
"It is absurdly shameful to watch TV channels/commentators/social networks emphasising an absence (wise) rather than respectfully honouring the pain of a mutilated family destroyed by the loss of two brothers. I am even ashamed to watch. Regrettable.
"And so the world goes... Society and opinion. Today they are worthless. They themselves have become bottomless pits. I feel sorry... And war is also like that. Believe me. Human evil is also a war. And every day we have to fight against it. And so it goes."
Last week, Ronaldo shared a tribute to Jota on Instagram, writing: "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 world.
"I know you will always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you."