Dani Alves has been jailed for four and a half years after being convicted of raping a woman at a Spanish nightclub.

The former Barcelona star was found guilty this morning at the Barcelona court where he was tried earlier this month after being driven to court in a police van.

The 40-year-old father-of-two is now facing his first night behind bars as a convicted sex offender.

He had been held on remand at Brians 2 Prison near the Catalan capital since his arrest in January last year.

Alves protested his innocence on February 7 after taking the stand on the last day of his three-day trial at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial court.

He admitted to having sex in a toilet at upmarket Barcelona nightclub Sutton on December 30 2022 with his 23-year-old female accuser, but insisted it was consensual.

The woman he was today found guilty of raping confirmed Alves had forced himself on her when she gave her evidence in court behind her screen.

A friend who was with her the night of the rape broke down in tears as she recalled how the victim was “crying uncontrollably” after leaving the small bathroom where she was.

State prosecutors had demanded a nine-year prison sentence if Alves was convicted and a private prosecutor acting for the victim demanded a 12-year jail term at his trial.

At the height of his career, Alves was considered one of the best right-backs in the world after a successful spell as a footballer that saw him win a total of 41 trophies with Barcelona, PSG, and Juventus.