Portugal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, was notably absent as late Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, were laid to rest in their home country.
CR7 was expected to fly to Gondomar, close to Porto, to pay his last respects at the funeral, but the Real Madrid legend was nowhere to be found.
Reacting, Majorcan newspaper claimed that Ronaldo is currently holidaying on the island and was spotted in two upmarket destinations on board his £5.5 million 88-feet long Azimut Grande yacht, which boasts five luxury cabins and six bathrooms.
According to Portuguese journalist Antonio Ribeiro Cristovao, as the captain of the Portuguese national team, many people expected Cristiano to be present at the gathering.
He believes Ronaldo would have to give a tangible explanation for his absence because he owes it as a responsibility to the entire country and his fellow players.
“He is the captain of the Portugal squad. Many expected he would attend.
Diogo Jota was part of the team. Maybe there are some reasons we don’t know.
If he doesn’t attend, he has to explain the reason. He has that responsibility. He is the captain,” he said.
Sports journalist and commentator Luis Cristovao also referred to CR7’s absence as inexplicable, stressing that there is no justification for not showing up.
“Being inexplicable, any justification will fall short of the shortcoming he committed with his absence,” Luis said.
Also speaking, TV sports commentator Pedro Fatela disclosed that Ronaldo’s absence will surely grab the headlines for a while, and he must have a very good excuse because everyone expected him to honour his late teammate.
He concluded by saying that as Portugal’s captain, Ronaldo is bound by duty to always lead by example.
“This absence will be much discussed. There must be justifications in the coming days.
We will know why Cristiano wasn’t able to travel to Gondomar to be present in this moment, but he is the captain.
All of us were expecting, as all coaches and players were there, to have the captain side by side with his teammates,” he added.
