Dani Alves says Christ set him free after his overturned rape conviction, appearing at Atletico Madrid’s stadium to speak at a major Christian gathering.
Dani Alves is trading football’s spotlight for stadium-stage preaching, insisting that faith—not fame—has been the defining force in his life since his prison term ended and his conviction was overturned.
The former Barcelona star, 43, says he now feels “set free” by Christianity after spending just over a year in prison.. Alves was convicted of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022. with that conviction later overturned in March 2025. a reversal that changed the legal outcome and reopened his future.
Since the acquittal. Alves has rekindled his relationship with his long-term partner. Joana Sanz. and has also pursued what he describes as a new calling.. His social media profiles have featured Bible passages. signaling a shift in tone from the larger-than-life image he carried during his playing career.
Last Saturday. Alves appeared at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium to deliver a speech at The Change Madrid 2026. one of Europe’s largest contemporary Christian gatherings.. He was billed as the headline speaker. and his decision to speak in a major football venue underscored the contrast at the centre of his message: he is positioning religious belief as the next chapter after sport and after legal turmoil.
In remarks reported around the event, Alves said: “I spent 14 months in prison, but in prison Christ set me free.” He also urged listeners to see their own hardships differently, telling them that Christ can “break those prisons and walls,” before linking his faith to the idea of starting anew.
Alves further framed his transformation in spiritual terms. stating that when someone has Christ. they become “a new creation” and that “the old things pass away.” He pointed to the scale of his past football experience—saying he played in front of around 80. 000 people—as something he now portrays as less important than the power he believes exists in Christ. even in a stadium filled with spectators.
The former attacker also suggested his perspective on loss has been central to his message.. He said he “lost everything” but that in losing everything he found Jesus. describing Jesus as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” He added that those leaving the gathering should. as he put it. “go and sin no more. ” echoing a sermon-like emphasis on personal conduct.
Alves described himself as “still crazy” while explaining how that energy has been redirected. “I’m still crazy, but now I’m crazy for God,” he said, and he insisted the focus is no longer on him but on Christ living “in” him.
He also addressed eternity and morality, warning that “hell is eternal and must be avoided,” while referencing a common saying that life is short and should be lived fully. In his view, living fully should be understood through religious commitment rather than worldly pursuits.
Beyond the words on stage. the appearance at the Metropolitano marks a high-profile entry into public evangelism in the heart of Spanish football culture.. For many supporters. Alves remains a global name from the era of massive dressing-room personalities. and his choice of a contemporary Christian conference in a top-flight stadium highlights how he is trying to bridge his celebrity past with a faith-centered future.
At the same time, the timeline behind his message remains inseparable from the legal context.. Alves’ claims come after the overturned conviction that followed his 2022 case, with the acquittal arriving in March 2025.. That reversal—and the prison time that preceded it—forms the background to his insistence that faith gave him a way to endure. and that he has used his platform differently since regaining freedom.
For The Change Madrid 2026. the decision to place Alves as the headline speaker also reflects the growing visibility of religious figures within public life. particularly in settings traditionally associated with sport.. Whether audiences respond as believers. sceptics. or curious onlookers. his presence at a major football venue has turned a faith event into a media moment across football and beyond.
For now, Alves’ message is clear: he portrays his next career as preaching rather than playing, urging people to seek what he calls deliverance “in this stadium,” even as his own public identity continues to be shaped by the chapter that ended with an overturned conviction.
Dani Alves Metropolitano Stadium Christian preaching Atletico Madrid overturned conviction Joana Sanz The Change Madrid 2026