A statue of Dani Alves in his hometown in Brazil has been vandalised twice following the former Barcelona player’s recent conviction for sexual assault.
Alves, 40, was sentenced on Feb. 22 to four and a half years in prison by a Spanish court for sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022.
The life-size statue of Alves wearing a Brazil jersey was inaugurated in 2020 and stands in a square in the town of Juazeiro, in the state of Bahia.
According to local reports, white paint was thrown over the statue on Wednesday, just two days after it had appeared covered with a black bag that was wrapped with an adhesive tape. Locals have also called for the Juazeiro town hall to remove Alves’ statue.
Alves is among the most decorated players in the history of football, winning 43 titles in his career. The former Barcelona star played 126 times for Brazil and helped his national team win two Copa Americas and an Olympic gold medal.