Former Brazil and Barcelona football star Dani Alves stepped outside detention for the first time in over a year on Monday, after being granted € 1 million bail as he awaits his appeal against his sexual assault conviction.

According to reports, the Supreme Court of Justice of Catalonia granted Alves’ provisional release following a split decision among justices.

The deal marks the biggest breakthrough for the football player whose previous attempts at bail were denied following his arrest in January 2023 for the alleged sexual assault of a woman at a Barcelona nightclub in late December 2022.

Alves’ bail comes just over a month following his four-year-and-half sentence after being found guilty of the charges by the Barcelona provincial court on February 22.

According to reports, his Brazilian and Spanish passports are to be confiscated as part of his provisional release in case of flight risk.

Alves, 40, is one of Football’s most decorated players in history, winning over 40 trophies at the club and country levels throughout his career.