Dani Alves’ wife reveals prison letter as former Barcelona star begins sentence

The wife of former Barcelona star Dani Alves has revealed a letter he sent her whilst awaiting trial for sexual assault.

Alves has since been sentenced to a four-and-a-half year jail term for the offences following a ruling by a court in Barcelona.

Alves maintained his innocence throughout the trial, claiming in court the sex was consensual, in contrast to the way the victim described non-consensual sex in a nightclub bathroom.

He was subsequently given a sentence which is half of the nine years the public prosecutor requested, and less than half of the maximum 12-year sentence desired by the victim.

The minimum sentence for sexual violence under Spanish law is four years with Alves also paying €150,000 in compensation to the victim.

Alves and his wife Joana Sanz – who separated in 2023 – remained in contact during his time on remand, and he wrote her a personal letter, via reports from Vogue.

Amongst the content of the letter, Alves claimed he wants to rekindle their relationship, and plan a future together.

Sanz’s story was initially picked up by an Instagram post from her account which was quickly removed as is was reportedly intended only for close friends.

Despite the sentence delivered by the court to Alves, he could be released early, due already serving a portion of his sentence, after handing himself in to authorities in January 2023.

He could be eligible for partial release this summer, with a full release in January 2026, if he has completed three quarters of his sentence, and shown good behaviour in prison.