Dani Alves, a Brazilian defender, sought a Spanish court on Thursday to be released on bail while awaiting his rape trial.
The 39-year-old was arrested in Barcelona in January after he was accused of raping a young woman in a nightclub restroom in the Spanish city in late December. The ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-German star have been imprisoned without bail because the judge investigating him believed Alves might attempt to flee.
The player's lawyers sought the court for his provisional release on Thursday, stating that he "can and wants to defend himself and will not avoid the trial," according to a statement.
This is the 2nd time his legal team has requested his release after their first plea was denied in February.
This latest step comes after Alves, one of football's most accomplished players, appeared in court on Monday at his request in Barcelona.
According to judicial authorities, in a brief statement to the judge, he conceded the pair had sexual contact but claimed it was voluntary.
According to people close to the case, Alves, who initially denied knowing the woman, revised his account many times before admitting to having consensual encounters with her.
Alves was on vacation in Barcelona after playing for Brazil in the World Cup in Qatar at the time of the incident. After his arrest, Alves was fired by his Mexican club, Pumas UNAM.
Alves made 408 appearances for Barcelona throughout his tremendously successful career, 391 between 2008 and 2016. He won six La Liga, three Champions League, and four Copa del Reys. He became the oldest player to represent Brazil in football's pinnacle competition last year.
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