Dani Alves reappears preaching at church under investigation for sexual abuse | OneFootball

Former Barcelona, Sevilla and Brazil footballer Dani Alves was back in the headlines this week, in an unusual setting. The 42-year-old was seen preaching at a Pentecostal church in Girona.

Alves, who at the time was still playing for Mexican side Pumas at the time, was taken into police custody in January of 2023, and later charged with rape. After a lengthy investigation and trial, Alves was sentenced to 4.5 years in jail in February of 2024. Just two months later though, he was released on bail, as he appealed the case, and eventually ended up being acquitted of any wrongdoing. The prosecution have confirmed they will appeal the verdict.

Dani Alves reappears as preacher in Pentecostal church

Earlier this week, images of Alves emerged at the Elim Pentecostal church in Girona, where he was seen preaching to music in front of a congregation. Notably, since Alves was released from prison, he has been posting bible verses on his Instagram account.

Regulars at the church have noted to El Periodico that he is not a frequent presence at the Elim church in Girona, but has been invited on several occasions. Deputy Pastor Sammy Thomas explained that they felt Alves’ experiences would benefit members of their ‘Congress of Young People’.

“We met Dani and we believe he has a great testimony to help young people… We asked him to come and share with us. And that’s it, there’s nothing more to it. Dani loves God, wants to preach God, and came to share with us.”

Image via EFE

Church under investigation for sexual abuse

However the church in question is under investigation for its own sexual crimes. As explained by Cronica Global, Elim were earlier this year placed under investigation in Terrassa, a town close to Barcelona, for multiple cases of sexual abuse. One of the pastors in the Terrassa centre is also accused of fraud to the tune of €19.4m.

The Elim church originated in El Salvador, where it often associated with the far-right in Central America. In addition, churches under the same name have also recently seen convictions of pastors in England and New Zealand for sexual abuse.