Dani Alves and Joana Sanz Welcome First Child Amidst Ongoing Legal Saga
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The model Joana Sanz and former soccer star Dani Alves have become parents, a development confirmed exclusively by Vanitatis on Tuesday, October 7. Sanz reportedly gave birth in Barcelona and has since returned home to Esplugues de Llobregat with their newborn. As of this reporting, neither Alves nor Sanz have publicly commented on the birth, with Sanz only acknowledging the occasion through Instagram stories thanking supporters for a bouquet of flowers.
A Long Journey to Parenthood
The arrival of the child marks the culmination of a protracted and challenging journey for Sanz, a process deeply intertwined with the legal battles surrounding Alves. The former footballer was previously condemned to four and a half years in jail for a crime of sexual aggression, though he was subsequently acquitted by The Superior Court of Catalonia on March 28. However, that acquittal is currently under appeal by the Prosecutor’s Office, filed in May.
Sanz publicly announced her pregnancy on March 31, just three days after Alves’ initial acquittal. In a heartfelt Instagram post, she shared, “I didn’t want to share anything until it was more than obvious, but I wanted [to share].” The post included a video revealing a positive pregnancy test and an ultrasound image. She candidly discussed her evolving feelings about motherhood, stating, “I never had maternal instinct, that desire to have children or that I like to load someone’s baby.” She acknowledged societal pressures and the often-overlooked complexities of female reproductive health, noting, “There is so much ignorance about the reproductive age of the woman and that it is not so easy to get pregnant.”
Reconciliation and Public Displays of Support
Despite a period of separation following Alves’ arrest and initial imprisonment, Sanz and Alves reconciled in recent months. While maintaining a relatively private relationship, they have offered glimpses into their renewed connection. On August 2, Sanz shared photos on Instagram of Alves gently placing his hand on her growing belly, a rare public display of affection. Alves mirrored this sentiment, posting a smiling photo alongside Sanz’s baby bump on his own Instagram profile, which boasts 35.6 million followers.
The couple initially married in 2017 in Formentera after two years of dating. This is their first child together, though Alves is also father to Victoria and Daniel from his previous marriage to Dinorah Santana, from whom he divorced in 2011. Sanz detailed her struggles with fertility in a magazine interview with Hello! last April.
A Shadow of Controversy
Sanz first learned of the allegations against Alves through media reports concerning an alleged incident at the Sutton disco in Barcelona. Alves was arrested on January 20, 2023, while in Spain for his mother-in-law’s funeral – a week after the accusations surfaced – due to concerns about a potential flight risk. Following his arrest, Sanz announced her separation from Alves on March 15 through a handwritten statement posted on Instagram, declaring, “Here is a strong woman who goes to the next stage of her life.”
In her pregnancy announcement, Sanz revealed that the idea of motherhood had initially been met with “a lot of fear,” specifically anxieties surrounding the responsibilities of parenthood and potential impacts on her personal identity. She detailed a five-year journey involving two rounds of in vitro fertilization, three pregnancy losses, a tubal operation, and a diagnosis of endometriosis. “I did tests of all kinds over the years, with some divine embryos and without finding the reason for anything,” she confessed. “The frustration tormented me.” She ultimately described her newborn as “my last frozen embryo, my last hope,” and a “rainbow full of love after so much storm.”
Despite ongoing anxieties, Sanz expressed a sense of cautious optimism, stating, “I still do not believe it and wake up in the early morning with the fear of seeing the sheets full of blood. I hear that everything is perfect.”
