By Rory Gannon
Fans have been left baffled after Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed Diogo Juta’s funeral after his heartbreaking tribute . Former Liverpool star Diogo was aged just 28 when he was killed in a car crash in northwestern Spain in the early hours of Thursday morning (July 3). His brother Andre Silva also killed when the Lamborghini they were driving in spun out and took them off the road before the car burst into flames. The star was laid to rest on Saturday morning (July 5), in an emotional ceremony in his hometown of Gondomar near Porto in northern Portugal. Some of his former teammates from Liverpool and Wolves appeared to help carry his coffin, while other international stars for Portugal showed up to pay their respects in his final moments before being buried. Among those who were able to attend the funeral were big names in the footballing world, including Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and also Jo茫o Neves, who flew into Portugal from the United States just to help carry Diogo’s coffin. However, one star who was not present at the funeral was Portugal’s biggest footballing star Cristiano Ronaldo . Following Jota’s sudden passing, Ronaldo – like many of his footballing co-stars – was left stunned, and took to social media to offer a heartbreaking tribute. “It doesn’t make sense; we were just together in the national team, and you had just gotten married,” he wrote. “To your family, your wife and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world,” Cristiano added. “I know you will always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.” However, the Mirror reported that while he would have liked to attended the footballer’s funeral, Cristiano was sceptical of appearing in Gondomar. They added that the star’s presence could have overshadowed the funeral and has since decided to keep a low profile in the days following Jota’s death. Several fans were not happy about Cristiano’s decision to swerve the funeral, with one person taking to social media to fume: “I promise you Ronaldo is NOT bigger than the passing of any active football player! Respect must be shown.” Whilst a second user added: “What nonsense! So he鈥檚 bigger than all the players there combined? No player is bigger than the loss of an active player.” Liverpool stars Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson attended the service, which was led by the Bishop of Porto Dom Manuel Linda. The private ceremony was closed to the public, but saw speakers echo what was being said throughout the service as mourners respectfully wept for the star. Diogo had just married his wife Rute Cardoso eleven days before his death. It is believed that the star had been rushing through northwestern Spain in order to catch a ferry to take him to the UK ahead of pre-season training for Liverpool. In another touching tribute to the star, the Portuguese Football Federation said Diogo was a “fantastic player” and an “extraordinary person, who was respected by all his teammates”. They added: “We have lost two champions; their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything we can to honour their legacy every day.” For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .