Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves has had a rape conviction overturned on appeal by a Spanish court.

The appeals division of Catalonia's High Court of Justice unanimously upheld the appeal by the 41-year-old and acquitted him, saying the case against him had "inconsistencies and contradictions".

Alves was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in February 2024 after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022.

The former full-back, who earned 126 international caps, was released on bail in March 2024 while his appeal was heard by a higher court.

The appeal court said that the ruling in the original court case "contains, throughout the reasoning, a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies and contradictions regarding the facts, the legal assessment and their consequences.

"The complainant's account, which should have been subjected to greater scrutiny, has not been compared with the fingerprint and biological evidence, which support the defence's argument."

Further, the court ruled that the complainant's argument that she went with Alves into the bathroom for fear that his friends might follow them did not appear reasonable.

It concluded that the alleged victim instead "voluntarily went to the bathroom area for the purpose of being with the defendant in a more intimate space".

The Catalan court also lifted all restrictions on Alves, including a travel ban and restraining order. However, the decision can still be appealed to the Supreme Court.

"Alves is very happy. He is innocent, that is demonstrated. Justice has spoken," his lawyer Ines Guardiola told RAC1 radio.

Alves had trophy-laden spells with Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus and Paris St-Germain and also helped Brazil win two Copa Americas and an Olympic gold medal at the age of 38.

He was playing for Pumas UNAM when he was arrested, which led to the Mexican club terminating his contract immediately.