Former Barcelona star Dani Alves has been cleared on appeal of raping a woman at a Catalan nightclub.
The footballer was previously handed a four and half year prison sentence in February last year after being convicted of a sex attack following a three-day trial.
Today the Catalan High Court rejected appeals from prosecutors and acquitted Alves of the crime he was convicted of last year.
The ruling was announced in a 101-page written document.
Former Barcelona star Dani Alves has been cleared on appeal of raping a woman at a Catalan nightclub
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Public prosecutors had appealed the original sentence and called for Alves to be jailed for nine years.
Private prosecutors acting for the woman who accused him of the attack at Sutton Nightclub in Barcelona on January 30, 2022 demanded a 12-year sentence.
Alves had protested his innocence during his trial, saying the sex was consensual.
His accuser insisted he had forced himself on her when she gave evidence behind a screen.
Dani Alves always protested his innocence after being jailed last year following allegations he raped a woman in a Catalan nightclub
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The court ruling stated: "It cannot be concluded that the limits of the presumption of innocence have been surpassed."
The appeal judges ruled Dani Alves' accuser was an "unreliable complainant" based on video evidence.
They also noted she had denied a sexual act had taken place which had been corroborated "with very high probability" by DNA tests.
The judges concluded the standards required by the presumption of innocence had not been met in the original trial.
Alves has been on bail since March last year after posting 1 million euros (£850k).
He was required to hand in his passports as part of a ban on leaving Spain.
The footballer also had to sign on at court every Friday as a condition of his release.
On his first night of freedom, Alves reportedly ordered takeaway hamburgers.
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The three original trial judges had taken into account as a "mitigating factor" his pre-payment of 150,000 euros (£128k) ordered as compensation for his accuser.
The Catalan High Court of Justice issued a statement confirming Alves' acquittal on appeal.
It stated the Appeals Section had "unanimously upheld the appeal of footballer Dani Alves".
Dani Alves was forced to hand over his passport and was banned from leaving Spain after being charged with rape last year
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The court noted the original conviction contained "a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and contradictions regarding the facts, the legal assessment, and its consequences".
The statement also confirmed the court had dismissed appeals from both the prosecution and private prosecution seeking longer sentences.
The ruling effectively nullified all precautionary measures previously imposed on Alves.
