Daniel Alves ‘to buy’ Portuguese third-tier club, could play in 2026 | OneFootball

Daniel Alves is said to be close to buying Sporting Clube de Sao Joao de Ver, a Portuguese third-tier side. According to ESPN Brasil, he is understood to have finalised the last details on Friday.

The report added he is weighing up a six-month playing stint at the club from January to June 2026. Sao Joao de Ver are in Portugal’s third division and sit ninth, the penultimate spot, in their group.

Alves, 42, has not played a professional match since eight January 2023 with Pumas in Mexico, where he featured for only half a season.

He was sentenced in February 2024 to four and a half years in prison for sexual assault, then acquitted in March by the Catalonia justice tribunal, which unanimously judged the evidence insufficient to uphold the conviction. The complainant lodged an appeal with the supreme court in April.

After 14 months of pre-trial detention and the payment of €one million bail, he regained his freedom in March 2024, having always denied the allegations. In September he was ordered by TAS to compensate Pumas following the termination of his contract.

Since leaving prison he has largely kept out of the spotlight, though he was recently seen preaching in an evangelical church in Girona. He continues individual training and believes a month of intensive work would be enough to regain competitive rhythm.

Source: L'Équipe