Former Barcelona and Brazil national team star Dani Alves after being acquitted of sexual assault charges has found a new calling as a pastor at an evangelical church in Girona, Spain.

Alves, 42, made his first public appearance as a pastor at the Elim Evangelical Church, where he delivered a sermon, sharing his personal journey and faith with the congregation. “You have to take the things of God seriously,” Alves declared. “I am proof of that. I made a pact with God.”

The former defender’s spiritual awakening comes after a tumultuous period marked by legal battles and personal struggles. Alves was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for sexual assault but was released on bail after serving 14 months. His conviction was later overturned on appeal, citing “a series of failings, inaccuracies, inconsistencies and contradictions on the facts.”

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