By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Portugal and Al-Nassr Captain Cristiano Ronaldo has addressed criticism over his absence at the funeral of late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, offering two reasons for his decision.
Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Ronaldo explained that his choice was guided by personal principles and his desire to avoid unnecessary attention.
“There are two things. People criticise me a lot and I don’t care about that because when you feel your conscious is good, you don’t need to worry about what people say.
One of the things I don’t do after my father died is to go to a cemetery,” he said.
He added a second reason, citing the media attention that would inevitably follow him: “Secondly, you know me and my reputation; wherever I go, it’s a circus.
I don’t go to Jota’s funeral because the attention would be on me and I don’t want that.
People can continue to criticise me, but I felt good with my decision.”