The Brazilian defender, who served time for sexual assault, is reportedly in talks to buy a Portuguese club and play for them for six months.
After being out of football for nearly three years, Dani Alves—who was jailed for sexual assault, later overturned—has made surprising news, according to ESPN. The 42-year-old Brazilian defender is reportedly negotiating to buy a Portuguese club and plans to play for them for six months.
According to the report, Alves is close to finalizing a deal to acquire the third-division Portuguese team São João de Ver. If the deal goes through, he would become the majority shareholder of the club. Alves also aims to sign a six-month playing contract to participate in the remainder of the season.
Currently, São João de Ver sits ninth in their league.
Alves, who previously played for major European clubs including Barcelona, Juventus, and PSG, has not played professional football since January 2023.
In December 2022, Alves was convicted by a court over allegations of sexual assault against a woman at a Barcelona nightclub, receiving a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence in February 2024. He was later released on bail the following month. In March of this year, the High Court of Catalonia overturned the sentence, citing “inconsistencies” and “contradictions” in the case.
Following his January 2023 arrest, Alves’ then-club Pumas terminated his contract. His relationship with his wife, Joana Sanz, also ended shortly after.
Alves has played 126 matches for Brazil and captained the team during their match against Cameroon at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
