Nobody has won more titles than him; With 43 trophies, Dani Alves (40) is still considered the most successful footballer in history. But when it comes to the accusation of raping a young girl in court, all the fame and previous triumphs can no longer help what was once the best legal defender in the world.
The trial of man number 126 will take place on Monday in Barcelona Brazilian The national player was a starter. Alves has already been imprisoned in Catalonia for a year and the first photographs were taken in the courtroom after his long time behind bars. But the footballer probably has many more years in prison ahead of him.
Dani Alves faces a prison sentence of several years
The accusation demands nine years in prison and ten more years of probation. In addition, Alves must pay the injured young woman 150,000 euros. 28 invited witnesses will be heard to help clarify the incident on the night of December 31, 2022. Since then, Alves has changed his version of events several times due to incriminating evidence.
That night, the 40-year-old was at Sutton, a luxurious nightclub in the Catalan metropolis. It is said that he first danced with an unknown woman, took her to her exclusive area and then disappeared with her into the separate bathrooms. There it is said that Alves sexually assaulted the victim.
The woman, whose identity remains secret to this day, filed a complaint after an initial shock. On January 20, 2023, Alves appeared at the hearing. police and has been behind bars ever since. The verdict is expected to be handed down in the trial later this month.
During his twelve months in prison, his story changed from “I don't know” to “she loved him too” to “he had been drinking and he was crazy.” It is clearly about reducing prison sentences. The evidence (camera footage, semen trails) is overwhelming. The current scenario in Spain speaks against leniency for Alves.
The girlfriend of the alleged victim describes details of the Dani Alves case
On the first day of the trial, the victim testified behind closed doors; she even hid her voice from her to ensure anonymity. However, the public was able to testify on Monday in the testimony of one of her friends, whom she witnessed that night as a witness at the nightclub.
After the alleged crime, her friend was completely distraught; she had never seen her cry like that before, the woman said. “He grabbed her, threw her to the ground and said something like: 'You're my little whore,'” the witness said, citing the alleged victim's story. Alves did not appear drunk either, contrary to what he himself now claims.
After the incident at the nightclub, she had to convince her friend to file a complaint because she feared persecution, a smear campaign or public ostracism due to the footballer's prominence. To this day she avoids the company of other people, she rarely leaves her apartment and has lost a lot of weight due to psychological stress.
By Béla Csányi