What did Cristiano Ronaldo Say About Diogo Jota

What did Cristiano Ronaldo Say About Diogo Jota After Draw Against DR Congo?

Aishik Das

Published - Jun 17, 2026, 07:21 PM

4 min

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What did Cristiano Ronaldo Say About Diogo Jota After Draw Against DR Congo?

Summary

Cristiano Ronaldo and co. clinched their first point over DR Congo in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Portuguese captain delivered a statement regarding Diogo Jota's untimely demise some time ago.
The game ended with a scoreline of 1-1, with both teams failing to produce something magical in front of the goal.

Portugal celebrated their first win in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as they drew first-timers DR Congo in their opening fixture at the Houston Stadium. Goals from Joao Neves and Yoane Wissa sealed an emphatic win for Seleção das Quinas.

The Portugal national football team came into this game with a lot of hope, and their star-studded squad did disappoint quite unexpectedly. Barring a few counterattacks from the DR Congo national football team, Portugal played on the front foot, controlling the game throughout.

However, the Portugal players and the fans are definitely missing the presence of Diogo Jota, who was a crucial figure in the squad. Having won the Nations League, the player dreamt of featuring in another FIFA World Cup, but fate had other plans.

The forward, along with his brother, died in a car crash in July last year. As a tribute to the deceased player, Portugal even included his name in all of the matches they have played so far, with the World Cup being no exception.

Post the victory, everyone expected the Portuguese captain to say some words to the press regarding his ex-teammate to the press. Let's find out what was the statement from Cristiano Ronaldo on Diogo Jota.

What did Ronaldo Say on Diogo Jota?

While the Cristiano Ronaldo statement on Diogo Jota didn't come after the stalemate against DR Congo, a video of him went viral some time ago when he spoke about a lot of things, including the untimely demise of his colleague.

In an interview with Piers Morgan, which is available on his official YouTube channel, UR Cristiano, Morgan asked him where he was when he got the news and why one of the greatest football players of all time didn't attend his funeral.

Cristiano Ronaldo revealed that he was in the gym with his now-fiancée, Georgina Rodriguez, when he got the news. He said that he was devastated, and he cried a lot after he got the news.

I didn’t believe [it], when they sent me the message. I cried a lot. It was very, very difficult moments for everyone, for the country, for family, for friends, for teammates. Very, very, very sad news.
It was a shock moment. We still feel the aura there in the national team when you put the shirt [on] because Diogo was one of us.

The forward then went on to explain why he didn't attend Jota's funeral, which created quite some buzz online among the fans. He put forward reasons such as he doesn't visit the cemetery after losing his father, and didn't want the funeral to be made about him due to the unwanted attention he garners on a day which is purely meant for the deceased and his family.

One of the things I don’t do is after my father died, I have never been in a cemetery again. Second... wherever I go is a circus. I [didn’t go] also because if I go, the attention goes [from Jota] to me, and I don’t want that kind of attention.

The Portugal national football team were wearing a bracelet which had all the players' names from the current World Cup squad on it, along with Diogo Jota's name. A special touch of tribute from the Portuguese Prime Minister, Luis Montenegro.

Even though there was no concrete statement from Cristiano Ronaldo on Diogo Jota after the game, he and his team will always carry the deceased forward in their hearts and hope to win the elusive trophy for him this time out.