Dani Alves’ ex-wife appeared unbothered shortly after the former Barcelona full-back was sentenced to four years and six months in jail.
On Thursday, the former Brazil international was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in the bathroom of an upscale Barcelona nightclub on December 31, 2022.
The 40-year-old father-of-two had been held on remand at Brians 2 Prison near the Catalan capital since his arrest in January last year and now faces his first night behind bars as a convicted sex offender.
Shortly after the news, his former wife Joana Sanz took to her Instagram page to share a picture of herself before also posting a picture that appeared to show she was out for coffee.
Speaking to La Vanguardia from prison last summer, Alves apologised to his former partner. ‘The only person I have to apologise to is my wife, Joana Sanz,’ he said.
‘The woman I married eight years ago, to whom I am still married, and with whom I hope to continue living all my life.
‘I have already apologised to her personally here in prison, but I must do it publicly because the story is public, the offence is public and she deserves a public apology.
‘These have been, are being, and will be very hard days for her. I thank her for everything she is doing for me. Her role is not easy. I love her and during this time in prison, I have thought a lot about our marriage.
‘I am certain that I was not wrong to choose Joana as my wife. Although perhaps she did make a mistake with me.’
His wife appeared to confirm she had split from Alves in a social media post.
In a handwritten letter, she said ‘It will take years to erase from my memory his way of looking at me’ and ‘here is a strong woman moving on to the next stage of her life.’
Alves, who became the oldest player to represent Brazil at the World Cup in December 2022 in Qatar, was ordered to stand trial last November.
