Acquitted after 14 months in prison on sexual assault charges, the former defender has approached the evangelical faith and today preaches in the Elim church in Girona
The grass of the field, the glory, the trophies, the trial for sexual assault, the prison, the acquittal and now, for Dani Alves, faith and a new life as a preacher. Last March the former defender was acquitted on appeal of charges of sexual assault against a young woman in a nightclub in Barcelona, dating back to December 2022, after spending 14 months in prison and being released on bail of one million euros. At first instance Alves was sentenced to four and a half years, but the appeal ruling established that there was “insufficient evidence” to exclude the player’s presumption of innocence. The Brazilian found his refuge in the evangelical faith. The video of one of his sermons, originally published by the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, has gone viral, as have other videos showing him speaking to the faithful in the Iglesia Elim church in Girona. “You have to have faith, I am proof of this. Because what God promises, God keeps. I made a pact with God: in the worst moment of my life he picked me up, took me to Church for the journey, and today I am on the journey thanks to him”, says Alves in front of those present, bearing his testimony. His Instagram bio reads “Disciple of Jesus Christ” and he often shares Bible verses and messages of faith on his profile.