Dani Alves – from 43 trophies to four years in prisonDani Alves, who this morning was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of sexual assault in Spain, was, until very recently, one of world football's golden boys.
An exuberant, technical right-back, he was a key part of the Barcelona side that set new standards in the European game between 2008 and 2016. He played 126 times for Brazil and won 43 trophies during his 22-year playing career - an astonishing number that makes him the second most decorated footballer in history. Only Lionel Messi, his former teammate at Camp Nou, has more trophies to his name.
This success, combined with a relentlessly exuberant public persona, made Alves a hugely – almost universally – popular figure. His trial, which lasted three days in a Barcelona court earlier this month, went some way to explaining why certain sections of the Spanish press dubbed it the "trial of the year". Despite its voracious undertones, that anecdote captures just how spectacular Alves' fall from grace has been.
On December 9, 2022, Alves – then 39 – was on the bench as Brazil played Croatia at the World Cup in Qatar. Just six weeks later, on December 30, 2022, Catalan police arrested him for allegedly raping a 23-year-old woman in a private bathroom at a Barcelona nightclub.
These charges have now been upheld by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia. "The court has no doubt that the complainant's vaginal penetration was done using violence," read a court statement after this morning's hearing.
Alves has spent the last 13 months in a detention facility 25 kilometers northwest of Barcelona; A request for temporary release was rejected because he was considered a flight risk and there is no extradition system between Brazil and Spain. He will serve an additional five years of supervised release following his sentence. He was also ordered to pay €150,000 (£128,500; $162,700) in damages and legal costs.
Alves began his senior career at Bahia, one of the biggest clubs in the northeast of Brazil. He moved to Spain at the age of 19, joining Sevilla - initially on loan and then on a permanent deal after winning the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship with Brazil's under-20 team.
Initially, some questioned whether Alves had the physical strength to compete in La Liga. His explanation of his position, however, has made doubters reconsider. Alves was technically a defender but defender was not his forte. He was a free spirit, a de facto winger in the mold of his childhood idol, Kafur.
Sevilla quickly worked out that they needed to use that energy rather than control it. Alves was encouraged to push forward, using his speed and skill in the final third. He helped the Andalusians to their first European trophy in 2006, setting up the opening goal in the UEFA Cup final against Middlesbrough, and was similarly influential as they retained the title in 2007. A year later, he became a Barcelona player.
His initial eight-season spell at the Camp Nou — followed by a brief, largely forgettable return in the 2021-22 season — turned Alves into a superstar. During that time he won six Spanish league titles, three Champions Leagues and 14 other trophies, rarely missing a match. You'd struggle to name another full-back who matched his impact and consistency over the same period.
It helped that his arrival at Barcelona coincided with that of Pep Guardiola. The Catalans' possession-focused approach suits Alves perfectly and has revealed new nuances in his game. His combination play with Messi in particular was one of the trademark features of the best club side of the modern era.
Alves, right, won 23 trophies with Barcelona (Shaun Botterill – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Even after leaving Barcelona in 2016, Alves remains a prominent figure. He reached another Champions League final with Juventus at the age of 34 - "an extra piece of ground", Juve defender Leonardo Bonucci called him - and won two French titles with Paris Saint-Germain. When he returned to Brazilian club football in 2019, signing for São Paulo FC, 45,000 fans flocked to the Murrumbi Stadium to welcome him.
He was never expected to replicate his success at club level with his national team. Alves played in extended periods for Brazil and, strangely, only became a regular starter in the latter stages of his career. He captained the Selecao at the 2018 World Cup, only to be ruled out of the tournament due to injury. He wore the armband the following summer, but led Brazil to a Copa America victory on home soil.
Alves' approach — cheeky, cheeky, apparently indifferent — arguably won him more admirers than his ability. A little personality can go a long way in a game as overwhelmingly self-serious as football, and the Brazilian always seems determined to take it onto the pitch rather than leaving it in the changing room.
Over time, Alves leaned into this persona, becoming a full-time cultivator of his own image. She dabbled in modeling, released a single and embraced social media. Whenever he got off the Brazil team bus he seemed to have a cymbal or drum in hand. He turned his own character description ("good madman") into a catchphrase. Whenever he signs an autograph, he draws a smiley face with a capital D inside.
Alves played for PSG between 2017 and 2019 (Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
Publishing long first-person pieces on the Players' Tribune website has become a rite of passage for footballers. Alves contributed two of them: one about his modest upbringing and the other a reflection on the pain of missing out on the 2018 World Cup. "Dani Alves isn't going to the World Cup," read one iconic line, "but he's still a happy motherfucker."
Later, when he moved to São Paulo, the same website produced a seven-part documentary on Alves' life. In one episode she talks at length about her iconoclastic fashion sense, posing for the camera in a series of designer jackets. In another, he discusses his relationship with music. The third episode is about Alves reconnecting with his two children from his first marriage. Its title is The Family Man.
That strand of Alves' reputation has now become disjointed along with others.
In early February, the High Court of Catalonia heard testimony from a friend of the victim who had been present at the Sutton nightclub on the evening of the incident regarding Alves' "disturbed attitude". While giving the victim's statement in private, her testimony - previously reported by The Athletic based on evidence from earlier hearings - gave a detailed account of Alves holding her against her will in a toilet cubicle and intruding on her without her permission.
Alves was sentenced to four and a half years in prison (ALBERTO ESTEVEZ/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
This morning, the court upheld that version of events, concluding that Alves "suddenly grabbed the complainant, threw her to the floor and entered her vagina preventing her from moving, although the complainant did not say that she wanted to leave".
In a statement, the court said that "injuring the victim (has been) it is clear that the violence was to force the victim to have sex" and "the accused used violence to subdue the will of the victim."
Lawyers for the defendants plan to appeal the decision.
But the forceful nature of the verdict means that it will be difficult to see Alves in the same way again.
(Photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
