Ex-FC Barcelona defender Dani Alves has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for sexual assault by a court in Barcelona, Spain.

The 40-year-old Brazillian footballer was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in an upscale Barcelona nightclub early on New Year’s Eve in December 2022.

The victim said Alves raped her in a bathroom. He was also ordered to pay 150,000 euros ($163,000) to the victim by the court.

The court ruled that the victim did not consent to sexual intercourse and that there is evidence to prove the rape that Alves was accused of carrying out in a bathroom of the Sutton nightclub’s VIP section in the early hours of 31 December 2022.

He was arrested three weeks after the incident and detained ever since while accused of “sexual assault with penetration”.

Prosecutors called for a nine-year prison term for Alves followed by 10 years of probation. They also wanted him to pay $163,000 (€150,000) in compensation to the victim, which has been ordered by the court.

Alves denied any wrongdoing during the trial. As the case was being investigated, Alves said while in custody that he did not have any sexual contact with her.

He later admitted to sexual relations but said they were consensual. He said he had been trying to save his marriage by not admitting to the encounter initially.

Alves told Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia that he had originally lied because he was afraid his wife Joanna Sanz would leave him.

The player has been in detention since he was arrested in Barcelona in January 2023. His requests to be released on bail have been repeatedly denied by the courts which considered him a flight risk because of his wealth.

Brazil does not extradite its own citizens when they are sentenced in other countries.

Alves is widely considered as one of the greatest defenders of all time, winning 42 trophies during a highly successful career.

The peak of his career was with Barcelona between 2008 and 2016 when he won 23 trophies. At the time of his arrest, he was contracted to Mexican club Pumas UNAM. He was sacked soon after being detained.