Robinho, an ex-Man City player, will spend nine years in prison following his arrest

Former Brazilian footballer Robinho has been arrested to begin serving a nine-year prison sentence for rape, following his conviction in Italy two years ago for his involvement in the gang rape of an Albanian woman at a nightclub in Milan in 2013.

Robinho, aged 40, was apprehended at his residence in Santos, Brazil, after the Italian government’s request for his extradition was unsuccessful. The Brazilian court upheld the decision to have him serve his sentence in Brazil and ruled that he must serve time in prison rather than under house arrest.

Despite a plea to halt his detention being rejected by a Supreme Court judge, the swift and decisive action taken by Brazil’s justice system has been widely praised by local media, amidst concerns that Robinho’s fame and wealth could allow him to evade justice.

The former Brazil international, who earned 100 caps for his country, was playing for AC Milan at the time of the offense. Despite losing an appeal in 2020 and having his sentence upheld by Italy’s highest court in 2022, Robinho had continued to maintain that the sexual encounter was consensual.

Robinho, who also had a stint with Manchester City, remains a contentious figure amidst ongoing legal proceedings and public scrutiny surrounding his conviction for sexual assault.