Ronaldo sister leaps to his defence after he faced criticism for missing funeral

Cristiano Ronaldo's sister has launched a fierce defence of her brother after he came under fire for missing the funeral of Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota.

The Al-Nassr star was noticeably absent as friends, family and team-mates gathered in Gondomar on Saturday to say farewell to Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who both died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday morning.

While Portugal internationals including Bernardo Silva, Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves attended, Ronaldo chose to stay away, reportedly telling Jota's wife Rute Cardoso and parents that he did not want to risk turning the funeral into a media circus with his presence.

The 40-year-old has faced criticism in Portugal for his decision, with some pundits describing his absence as 'inexplicable' and fans calling it 'inadmissible' for the national team captain not to break his holiday to pay respects.

But his sister Katia Aveiro hit back in a series of emotional Instagram posts, insisting that her brother's decision was wise and blasting those who 'criticise for nothing'.

'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,' she wrote.

'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 Luis Filipe Scolari, etc. I don't remember seeing any of them. And they certainly greeted me. The pain blinded me.'

Aveiro added: 'About pain/family and real support... You will never know what it means until you go through it. If someone sends me a message criticising 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. 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.'

Ronaldo had earlier shared an emotional tribute on Instagram following the news of Jota and Silva's deaths, saying: '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.'

The Portugal captain, who was reportedly on holiday in Majorca at the time of the funeral, has yet to publicly address his absence, although reports claim he personally spoke to Jota's family to express his condolences and assure them of his ongoing support.