Cristiano Ronaldo has set the record straight regarding his decision to not attend the funeral of his Portugal teammate Diogo Jota earlier this year.
When asked on Piers Morgan Uncensored about his sister Katia Aveiro coming to his defense following his notable absence, the soccer star appeared to confirm that he did not want to turn the somber occasion into an "unnecessary circus" with the focus on him.
"Two things: People criticize me a lot. I don't care about that because when your conscience is good and free, you don't have to worry about what people say," Ronaldo said. "But one of the things I don't do, after my father died, I've never been to a cemetery again."
"And second, you know me, and you know my reputation," he continued. "Wherever I go, it is a circus. I don't go out because, if I go, the attention goes to me. I don't want this kind of attention."
Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson were among the Liverpool teammates who attended the funeral for Jota and his brother André Silva, who died in a car accident in Spain in July. Current Portugal players, such as Bruno Fernandes, were also in attendance, according to ESPN. His former teammates Jordan Henderson and James Milner also paid their respects.
"I didn't like it when you go in some sensitive moment to do interviews, to speak about him, to speak about football. C'mon guys. What is this?" Ronaldo added. "This shows how a circus is life, sometimes. I'm not a part of that. If you want to be a part of this world, good luck. I'm gonna be in another side."
"People can continue to criticize," he said. "I felt good with my decision."
While Ronaldo did not attend Jota's funeral, he was there for the tribute ceremony held by the Portuguese Football Federation. Ronaldo can be seen at the end of the video below.
Morgan and Cristiano begin their conversation about Jota at the 30-second mark in the video above.
