Brazilian defender Dani Alves is set to face trial on sexual charges that was leveled against him at the high court of Catalonia.
The former Barcelona defender was arrested in January after being accused of raping a young woman in the bathroom of a nightclub in late December.
Alves, 40, has not been granted bail as the court continues to investigate him while he remains in custody due to the fear that he might decide to flee if granted bail.
Dani Alves was immediately arrested when the news first broke out that he raped a lady in Barcelona. The Brazilian in a television interview initially denied knowing the woman.
The Former PSG defender who is likely to face up to 12 years in jail if found guilty, defended his innocence in an interview published in June, saying he has a “clear conscience”.
Speaking in his first interview since his arrest, Dani Alves said: “I have a really clear conscience regarding what happened that night in the bathroom of the VIP area of the Sutton nightclub.”
“What happened and what didn’t happen. And what didn’t happen is that I forced this woman to do anything that we did.”
Alves was on holiday in Barcelona after playing for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar at the time of the said incident.
Dani Alves, who is being held in the Brians penitentiary complex outside Barcelona, was sacked by his Mexican club Pumas UNAM, after his arrest.
Alves is one of the most decorated footballers in history, winning 42 football titles, including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa Americas with Brazil.
Who Is Dani Alves?
Daniel Alves da Silva, also known as Dani Alves, is a Brazilian professional footballer who was born on May 6, 1983 and last played for Liga MX club UNAM.
Alves, who is regarded as one of football’s all-time greatest full-backs, has won 47 official titles overall and 46 titles at the senior level, making him the most decorated player in the sport’s history.
Alves began his professional career in 2001 with Bahia and then enjoyed a fruitful six-year stint with Sevilla, where he won two UEFA Cups and the Copa del Rey.
In his first year with the team, Dani Alves won the treble, and the following year, he took home the Supercopa de Espaa, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.
In the years that followed, he also assisted the team in winning two more Supercopa de Espaas, five La Liga championships, and two UEFA Champions League triumphs.
Juventus acquired Alves in 2016 on a free transfer.
In his lone season with the team, Dani Alves won the Serie A championship, the Coppa Italia, and advanced to the Champions League Final.
Alves moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 on a free transfer, and in his first season there, he won the domestic triple, and won another league championship the following year.
He joined So Paulo in 2019 after moving back home. Alves won the Campeonato Paulista two years after that, giving him his first championship with the team. In 2021, he went back to Barcelona.
Dani Alves, who has played in all of Brazil’s international matches since 2006, is the team’s all-time second-most capped player.
He played for them in five Copa América competitions, three FIFA World Cups, and three FIFA Confederations Cups, winning the 2007 and 2019 editions of the latter event.
He earned a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Alves received individual recognition by being named to the IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade (2011-2020), the FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Tournament (2013), the Copa América Team of the Tournament (2019), and Copa América Best Player (2019).
