Brazilian residents in Bahia have called for the removal of a statue of Dani Alves after the former Brazil star was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison having been found guilty of rape.

The statue of Alves is located in Juazeiro, in the north of the Brazilian state of Bahia, where he was born.

According to Marca, one resident wrote on social media: ‘It’s about time to vandalize the statue of Dani Alves on the outskirts of Juazeiro, right? It has gotten embarrassing.’ 

The Juazeiro City Council is now considering removing the statue.

Alves played for Juazeiro and then Bahia as a youth player before making his first steps into senior football with the latter club.

The statue was unveiled in 2020 but has been vandalised after the case involving Alves became public.

Made by artist Leo Santana, the statue shows Alves wearing a Brazil shirt with a ball at his feet. 

On February 22, Alves was found guilty of raping a woman at a Spanish nightclub in 2022.

He claimed he had consensual sex in a toilet at upmarket Barcelona nightclub Sutton in the early hours of December 31, 2022, with his 23-year-old female accuser.

The woman he was found guilty of raping insisted the footballer had forced himself on her after hitting her when she gave her evidence in court behind a screen.

Alves is the most decorated player in the history of professional football having won 43 trophies. He had two spells at Barcelona and also played for Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.