Brazil’s Dani Alves Gets 4–1/2 Years for Rape in Spain, Will Appeal

Brazil soccer player Dani Alves sits in court during the first day of his trial in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 5, 2024. Alberto Estevez/Pool via Reuters

BARCELONA—Brazilian footballer Dani Alves was convicted of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022 and sentenced to 4–1/2 years in prison on Thursday, which his lawyer said he will appeal.

The top court in Spain’s Catalonia region also ordered Alves, who repeatedly changed his story, first denying knowing the woman and eventually claiming the sex was consensual, to pay 150,000 euros ($163,000) to the victim.