Former Barcelona Star Dani Alves Found Guilty of Assaulting Woman in Nightclub

A court in Spain has convicted former Barcelona and Brazil footballer Dani Alves of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub. Alves, a highly decorated player with a career spanning top clubs and international success, has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

During the trial, the victim recounted the events of the early hours of 31 December 2022, stating that Alves had raped her in a VIP area of the nightclub after forcibly luring her with champagne. The court found Alves guilty, ordering him to pay €150,000 to the victim and serve five years’ probation post-sentence.

Prosecutors argued that Alves and his friend had engaged in buying drinks for the victim and her friends before coercing the woman into a secluded area where the assault took place. The victim’s distress and insistence to leave were ignored, leading to a violent encounter, according to the court’s ruling.

Alves, a veteran of over 400 matches for Barcelona and a key figure in their success, has been detained since January 2023. His denial of the accusations shifted multiple times during the investigation, with varying claims regarding his relationship with the victim.

As one of the most prominent footballers of his generation, Alves’s conviction marks a significant fall from grace. Having won numerous Champions League titles and domestic league honors with Barcelona and other clubs like Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, this legal outcome tarnishes his illustrious career.

The case comes amid a backdrop of legal reforms in Spain regarding sexual assault laws, influenced by notable incidents such as the San Fermin gang-rape case in Pamplona. Alves’s impact on the sport of football and his personal legacy have been cast into shadow by this verdict.