Former Barcelona defender Dani Alves has been sentenced to four years imprisonment after being found guilty of a nightclub rape charge by a Spanish court on Thursday.

The incident reportedly occurred in the VIP section bathroom of Sutton nightclub on December 31, 2022. He was arrested three weeks later on accusation of “sexual assault with penetration” and had been held without bail since.

In a TV interview, Mr Alves initially denied knowing the victim but later backtracked, admitting there was sex but claimed it was consensual — he later told Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia that he lied because he was afraid of losing his wife, Joanna Sanz.

Mr Alves denied that he raped the young woman during a three-day trial that ended last Wednesday. But on Thursday, a three-judge panel found him guilty of rape and sentenced the ex-Brazilian international to four and a half prison terms.

Also, Mr Alves is to pay $163,000 (€150,000) in compensation to the victim, a nine and a half year restraining order and will have to complete five years’ worth of probation upon completion of his sentence, Forbes reported.

Meanwhile, Mr Alves, who also played for Juventus, Sevilla, PSG and other clubs during his playing career, can appeal the sentence.