Ahmad 
The Supreme Court of the Spanish region of Catalonia on Thursday sentenced former Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves to four-and-a-half years in prison for raping a woman at a Barcelona nightclub in 2022.
The sentence also included Alves being placed on probation for 5 years after his release.
“The punishment came after it was proved that the victim did not consent, and there is evidence in addition to the plaintiff’s testimony that allows the rape to be considered proven,” the court said in a statement.
The court ordered Alves, who has always maintained that the sex was consensual, to pay 150,000 euros ($163,000) in compensation to the girl he sexually abused.
The 40-year-old former Barcelona defender was arrested in January last year and has been held in prison ever since.
Dani Alves, one of the most decorated footballers with 43 titles, lived the best period of his career at Barcelona between 2008 and 2016, and was crowned with the Catalan team with 23 titles, including 3 Champions League titles, 6 in La Liga and 4 in the Copa del Rey.