Former Brazil and Barcelona defender Dani Alves has won his appeal against a sexual assault conviction, with a Spanish court overturning the ruling on Friday.
The 40-year-old had been found guilty in February 2024 of assaulting a woman at a Barcelona nightclub on New Year’s Eve in 2022 and sentenced to four years and six months in prison.
Alves, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, was released in March 2024 while awaiting his appeal.
On Friday, a Barcelona-based appeals court ruled unanimously that there was “insufficient evidence” to uphold the conviction, citing discrepancies between the plaintiff’s testimony and video footage taken before the alleged incident.
A Storied Career Overshadowed
One of the most decorated footballers of all time, Alves won multiple titles with Barcelona, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain.
He played a key role in Brazil’s Copa America triumphs and secured an Olympic gold medal at the age of 38. His final international appearance came at the 2022 World Cup, the only major trophy missing from his illustrious career.
At the time of his arrest, Alves was playing for Mexican club Pumas, which terminated his contract immediately.
His case was the first high-profile sex crime trial following Spain’s new “Only Yes Means Yes” law, which redefined sexual consent.
