Jota, are you watching from the sky? Ronaldo's emotional ceremony for his best friend, which sparked controversy over his absence from the funeral
Sep 08, 2025
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'Portugal national team captain' Ronaldo scored a decisive goal in the 21st minute of the first half in Armenia's away match in the European qualifying round for the North-China World Cup on the 7th (Korea time) and led the team to a 5-0 victory.
The World Cup qualifying match was Portugal's first A match since Jota and his brother Andre Silva were tragically killed in a car accident in Spain on July 3.
Liverpool striker Jota has scored 14 goals in 49 appearances for Portugal since his debut in 2019.
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He crushed Portugal and Armenia in the match. Ronaldo's net goal was scored 11 minutes after Hoang Felix scored the first goal 10 minutes into the first half. Ronaldo pointed to the sky and performed a moving ceremony to present his goal to his best friend Jota. Hoang Cancelo made it 3-0 and Cancelo recreated Jota's signature 'PlayStation Ceremony'.After Ronaldo shook the net again, Hoang Felix also scored multiple goals to win a big victory.
Ronaldo was also criticized by fans for missing Jota's funeral in Gondomar, Portugal, in July. According to Portuguese media records, Ronaldo did not appear to have attended Jota's funeral, recalling the experience of his father Jose Diniz Abeyru, who died in September 2005. He was shocked by the news of Jota's death and expressed his deepest condolences more than anyone else, but reportedly was absent because he was afraid that his attendance would obscure the meaning of those in memory of the Jota brothers.
As criticism poured out over Ronaldo's absence, his sister Katia openly defended her brother on social media. 'When my father died, we had to deal with the pain of loss, the funeral parlour, the graveyard and the cameras and curious onlookers who flocked everywhere we went. And the interest at the time was incomparable to the present. We couldn't leave the cathedral, and it was so complicated that we could only move at the funeral. The funeral was attended by the president, including national team coach Luis Philippe Scolari at the time, but I didn't see anyone. Of course they would have greeted us, but grief obscured their sight. If you don't experience the family's pain and true support firsthand, you'll never know what it means. If someone sends me a message criticizing my brother's behavior, I will ignore it completely.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
