Diogo Jota came as a kick in the gut for the soccer community. The Portugal star who just got married to his long-time partner Rute Cardoso on June 22 perished alongside his brother in a tragic car crash. “Doesn’t make any sense,” wrote Cristiano Ronaldo in the tribute to his late teammate on Instagram. The entire soccer community, including the players, followed suit.

The tributes for the late Liverpool star transcended continents. On the field, the players chose to remember Jota not for the tragedy but to celebrate his passion for the sport. Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar won it for his 10-man team against Philadelphia with a last-minute penalty and proceeded to make the entire team enact Diogo Jota’s famous trademark celebration. Yet, Portugal’s living soccer legend Ronaldo skipped his funeral.

This decision came as a big surprise to soccer fans. In Cristiano Ronaldo’s own words, “Just now we were together in the National Team,” he wrote in his social media tribute to Jota. However, it wasn’t because the 40-year-old inked a two-year extension and continues to play a major role “in developing the Saudi league” with Al Nassr. Instead, as per Portuguese news outlet A Bola, it was a far more considerate decision.

They reported that Cristiano Ronaldo chose to skip the Igreja Matriz church in Gondomar, Portugal, to not draw unwanted attention. After all, the tragic deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva are an unimaginable blow for the family. So the last thing CR7 wanted was to create a “media circus that would only cause even more trouble” for the distraught family, per the A Bola report.

In fact, Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t make this decision alone. A Bola also reported that the Al Nassr star decided after consulting with those closest to the late Liverpool forward. He even spoke directly to Diogo Jota’s wife and parents, assuring them he’d be by the family’s side whenever they would need him. What’s more? Besides Ronaldo, Jota’s closest teammates arrived to honor him.

The soccer world stood beside Diogo Jota’s family

In his Instagram post, the 2025 UEFA Nations League winner poured his heart out for Jota’s family. “To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. R.I.P. Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you,” wrote Cristiano Ronaldo. Although he couldn’t be there to tell them in person, their Portuguese teammates arrived in the small town to honor their friend one last time.

Rúben Neves and João Cancelo flew in from the United States after Al Hilal’s exit from the FIFA Club World Cup. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) and Diogo Dalot (Manchester United) also attended the service alongside soccer coaches Fernando Santos and Roberto Martínez. And they weren’t alone. Jota’s Liverpool teammates, who broke down in tears at their first match after his passing, also attended the funeral.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and left-back Andrew Robertson carried red wreaths. The Reds captain carried a wreath with Jota’s jersey number 20 stitched into the wreath in white flowers. Similarly, Robertson carried the wreath with Silva’s number 30. Just like Diogo Jota, his brother also played soccer, albeit not internationally, but for the Portuguese club F.C. Penafiel.

The only Liverpool teammate who couldn’t make it was goalkeeper Alisson Becker. “An ocean separates me from ‘saying goodbye’ to someone I love! But I know that I am well represented by my clubmates!” he posted on Instagram. So while Cristiano Ronaldo opted not to attend his teammate’s funeral, he and the global soccer community will keep Jota’s legacy alive.