Barcelona revokes Dani Alves’ status as club legend following conviction

Dani Alves’ has gotten himself into all kinds of problems lately. The Brazilian defender has been charged with sexual assault, with Barcelona court handing him a jail sentence of four years and six months.

Alves, who was considered one of the most successful defenders to don the Barcelona shirt, has now rapidly fallen from grace.

Barcelona revoke Alves’ ‘legend’ status

With that in mind, Barcelona FC have decided to strip Dani Alves of his status as a club legend, a title bestowed upon 102 players who have donned the famous Blaugrana jersey since the club’s inception on November 29, 1899.

The latest to join this esteemed list were Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Gerard Pique, following in the footsteps of the club’s founder, Joan Gamper.

This has been reported by SPORT, which suggests that the club approached this decision with caution, maintaining the presumption of innocence for the Brazilian player, who was remanded in custody on January 20, 2023, pending trial.

Barcelona FC has now taken this symbolic step following the confirmation of Alves’ conviction for sexual assault. As mentioned earlier, on December 22, Section 21 of the Barcelona Court of Appeal sentenced Dani Alves to four years and six months in prison.

Dani Alves had attained his status as a Barcelona legend through his impressive tenure of 408 appearances over eight and a half seasons, spanning two spells with the club.

His illustrious career saw him lift numerous trophies, including three UEFA Champions League titles, six La Liga titles, four Copa del Rey trophies, and four additional Supercopas de Espana.

Despite his on-field achievements, Alves’ legacy has been tarnished by this legal matter, prompting Barcelona to take decisive action.