Former Barcelona star, Dani Alves becomes a church preacher seven months after his conviction for rape was overturned on appeal (video)
Former Barcelona defender Dani Alves has reportedly become a church preacher just months after being cleared of rape.
The 42-year-old, who is one of the most decorated players in the history of football, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars in February 2024 when a court found him guilty of committing a s£x attack in a Catalan nightclub two years earlier.
Alves was later released on bail after a higher court heard his appeal.
In March of this year, the former Juventus star was acquitted by a Catalan High Court due to ‘inconsistencies and contradictions’ in the case against him.
Now it seems the Brazilian has turned to God after he was spotted preaching at a church in Girona, a town not far from Barcelona.
Alves was filmed passionately telling crowds gathered in the church: ‘You must have faith, my brothers. I am proof of that. What God promises, God fulfills.
‘In the midst of a storm, a messenger of God appeared. He led me to the Church and the path, and today I am here thanks to them.
‘I asked God to take care of my home and the hearts of the people who wouldn’t abandon me. And I promise to serve him.’
During his trial, Alves’s wife, 33-year-old Joana Sanz, split from him.
Having initially supported her husband amid sexual assault allegations, Sanz and Alves’s relationship quickly deteriorated, with the runway model posting a triumphant selfie just moments after her partner was sentenced to almost five years behind bars last year.
But since Alves’s acquittal, the couple have reconciled. Only this month they welcomed their first child together, a baby son, according to Spanish showbiz website Vanitatis.
