CELEBRITY
Revealed! Brazilian Magazine Funded Dani Alves’ €1m Bail –
A Brazilian magazine has reportedly been identified as having paid Dani Alves’ €1m (£850,000) bail after the former Barcelona star was released from prison.
Alves was released from prison on Monday after depositing the funds having spent 13 months in jail.
The 40-year-old had been held at Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona since January 2023 after being accused of raping a young woman in a nightclub bathroom in the Spanish city in the early hours of December 31, 2022.
He was found guilty of rape last month and was handed a four-and-a-half year prison sentence, which he subsequently appealed. Alves pleaded to be released on bail, and his bail bond was set at €1m.
It appeared that he would struggle to raise this figure due to the Brazilian reportedly having two empty bank accounts and another in the red, but he managed to pay the fee on Monday and was released from prison.
The source of the payment has been the subject of speculation, with Memphis Depay‘s agent denying reports the Atletico Madrid forward had paid Alves’ bail.
Brazilian team-mate Neymar’s dad had been expected to help Alves pay the money to secure his freedom, but he issued a statement denying he would hand over any cash after coming under political pressure in his homeland.
Spanish journalist Marisa Martín Blazquez, speaking on Fiesta, reported that a Brazilian magazine paid Alves bail in exchange for an interview.
Blazquez said the Alves would have been requested to ask his model wife Joana Sanz to feature as part of the interview.
‘The magazine, known in Brazil, does great reports on important people in Brazil, but also internationally,’ Blazquez said.
‘There are a series of requirements that must be met.
‘An interview would be being conducted as a video report on Alves’ story and, in addition, Alves would have asked Joana Sanz to participate in this report.
‘[The payment] would have been an advance as payment for that documentary-type interview that is being done.’
Sanz revealed last year she had demanded a divorce after Alves admitted for the first time to having sex with the woman he was found guilty of raping, but claimed as he still does that the relations were consensual.
The 31-year-old brunette later said the divorce had been put on hold and she gave evidence on Alves’ behalf at his trial from February 5 to 7.
Alves is on provisional release and will usually attend court hearings on Friday.
He is understood to have complied with the other orders of the three judges who said he could leave jail despite his recent rape conviction by handing in his Spanish and Brazilian passports.
Keen to make the most of his life outside prison walls, he was reported to have celebrated one of his first nights of freedom with a lavish party.
Alves was convicted of raping a 23-year-old woman in the toilet of an upscale Barcelona nightclub, Sutton, over a year and a half ago.
The jail sentence he received, considered lenient by some critics, was far less than the nine years public prosecutors demanded and the 12 years Alves’ female accuser wanted if he was convicted.
Previous attempts from the footballer to be allowed bail had been rejected by the courts largely because he was viewed as a potential fight risk, and the player’s home nation, Brazil, does not extradite citizens sentenced abroad.
ADWAIDH RAJAN, BBC
He’s better known as a Premier League and international footballer, but Alex Iwobi wants his music – as well as his on-pitch exploits – to inspire young people.
After starting his rap career earlier this year, the Fulham and Nigeria midfielder has released his second single, titled What’s Luv?.
Iwobi’s debut offering was Don’t Shoot in June, which has been streamed almost 60,000 times on Spotify.
The 28-year-old, who goes by the name ’17’, collaborated with his former Arsenal team-mate Chuba Akpom (performing as Skoli) and former England youth international Medy Elito (Don-EE) for his first release.
Iwobi’s debut song was aimed at deterring youngsters from street violence, while his latest release is a “celebration of his African roots”.
“Growing up in an area of London that is challenging for some people, I know how hard it can be and I’m grateful to have a platform to try and make a difference,” Iwobi said.
“I hope that my music is another way of proving that young people do not have to feel they have to fit in just one box. I want them to be encouraged to achieve their dreams, to put their focus into positive things.”
Iwobi has started all nine Premier League matches for Marco Silva’s Fulham this season and scored his second goal of the campaign in a 1-1 draw against his old club Everton last week.
“Creating music doesn’t take anything away from my football, it helps me switch off. I will always work hard and try to improve in my sport, but this is a good use of my spare time,” he said.
Footballer forays into music
Iwobi, however, is not the first footballer to go into music.
A reworked version of folk rock band Lindisfarne’s track Fog on the Tyne, with vocals by Paul Gascoigne, reached number two on the UK singles chart in 1990.
Former England striker Andy Cole’s cover of the Gap Bands’ song Outstanding peaked at number 68 while then Tottenham and Three Lions team-mates Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle released Diamond Lights, which reached number 12 in 1987.
Kevin Keegan’s 1979 song Head over Heels in Love made it to 31 in the charts.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is an accomplished drummer, while former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin invented his own musical instrument which he called the Dube.
A masked rapper named ‘Dide’ rose to fame last year, claiming to be a Premier League footballer.
-BBC
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.
Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.
“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.
“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.
The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.
Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
-Reuters
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.
The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.
A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.
Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.
-Reuters
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