Former Barcelona and Brazil defender, Dani Alves and his wife, Spanish model Joana Sanz, are reportedly heading for divorce after nine years of marriage. His deepening devotion to evangelical Christianity is said to be the cause.

Sanz, 34, confirmed on Instagram on Friday, November 13, that the couple had been separated for some time. She was responding to a follower who asked whether she accompanies Alves to his religious services, and she said the separation was precisely because of that. Spanish journalist Javi Hoyos then reported on Saturday that the couple had begun divorce proceedings, saying he had spoken with Sanz about her reasons.

According to Hoyos, Sanz has no problem with her husband’s faith. She would understand it if he read the Bible or attended church, but the way he has given his life over to religion, including his work as an evangelical preacher and speaker, has pulled him away from her and their young daughter, Julieta, and left her feeling lonely.

Sanz is also said to have told the journalist that she is not a believer herself. Alves, 43, has not directly addressed the split or the divorce proceedings.

The couple’s history has been turbulent. Alves was arrested in January 2023 over a sexual assault allegation at a Barcelona nightclub, and Sanz initially sought a divorce, though she later stood by him, testified at his trial and visited him in prison.

He was convicted in February 2024 and sentenced to four and a half years, then released on bail a month later. In March 2025, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia overturned the conviction and acquitted him, citing inconsistencies and contradictions in the original ruling.

Prosecutors announced they would take the case to Spain’s Supreme Court. Alves has since turned to preaching, which has drawn growing public attention.