A Spanish court on Friday, March 28, 2025, overturned Dani Alves’ conviction of rape on appeal.
Alves, who played for Brazil and Barcelona during his football career, was found guilty in February 2024 of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022.
He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison but was released in March 2024 while waiting for his appeal to be heard.
Alves had always denied wrongdoing, claiming sex with the woman was consensual.
The top court in the Catalonia region said they had found “inconsistencies and contradictions” in the original ruling.
He had to post €1m, £850,000 bail to be allowed to leave prison.
Alves also agreed to hand in his passports as part of a ban on leaving Spain and sign on at court every Friday.
At the prime of his career, Alves earned a reported €155,000 per week and is the second most decorated footballer in history with 43 titles just behind Lionel Messi’s 46 titles.