Full-back Alves became the oldest Brazilian to play in a World Cup match when he captained the team in a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in Qatar earlier in December 2022.

Catalonia’s Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves is under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a nightclub in Spain last month.

Alves denies any wrongdoing, Reuters reported.

The Barcelona court said it had opened proceedings “for an alleged crime of sexual assault as a result of a woman’s complaint for events that allegedly occurred in a nightclub in Barcelona last month,” the statement read.

Alves was not specifically named in the statement, but a court spokeswoman confirmed to Reuters that he was the subject of the complaint.

She stated that the case was being investigated, but that the court had no further information.

A woman had accused Alves of touching her beneath her underwear without her consent when she was with friends at a nightclub in late December 2022, Spanish media had reported.

When Alves was contacted by Reuters for comment, his spokesperson stated that the player “vehemently denies” all charges.

Alves told Antena 3 in an interview last week that he was at the club with other people but denied any such behaviour.

“I was dancing and having a good time without invading anyone’s space,” he said. “I don’t know who this lady is…How could I do that to a woman? No.”

Alves is currently in Mexico playing for Pumas UNAM.

Full-back Alves became the oldest Brazilian to play in a World Cup match when he captained the team against Cameroon in Qatar earlier in December.