Here is the list of famous footballers who have been jailed and form the Prison FC meme players lineup
Dani Alves was found guilty on Thursday by a Spanish court of r*ping a young woman at a nightclub in Barcelona in December 2022, and the court sentenced the former Brazil international to four and a half years in prison.
Prison FC football players and lineup as meme goes viral on Twitter/X after Dani Alves’ jail sentence
He has now joined the Prison FC lineup, a meme used to mock footballers, former and present who have landed up in jail.
Prison fc genuinely have more chances of winning the ucl than arsenal 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/bB8jYNIkCb https://t.co/W5fA8mOfEp
— 𝖆𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖘 (@LFC_achilles) February 22, 2024
The 40-year-old Alves, one of the most renowned football players in history, is accused of raping a lady at the Sutton nightclub early on December 31, 2022. Alves played for both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain during his illustrious career. He went on trial earlier this month. According to a statement by the Barcelona court:
The victim did not consent and there is evidence that, beyond the complainant’s testimony, permits the rape to be considered proven.”
Meanwhile, unfortunately, he isn’t the only famous footballer to go to jail and hurt fans’ emotions. There are football players who were freed from prison before their sentences were served, for various reasons. Others were freed under home arrest to serve out their jail sentences.
List of famous footballers to be jailed
Adam Johnson
English football player Adam Johnson was born on July 14, 1987, and was primarily a winger in his career. Shortly after entering a guilty plea to charges of child grooming and s*xual contact with a minor in 2016, the 35-year-old was let go by the Black Cats. He had been sentenced to six years in jail.
OFFICIAL: Prison FC's squad list for the upcoming 2023/24 season. ⚫️⚪️#IronBars #COYIB #PrisonFC pic.twitter.com/r2k6HK54xs
— Prison FC (@PrisonAFC) June 22, 2023
Ronaldinho
Brazilian former professional football player Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, better known as Ronaldinho, was born on March 21, 1980, and specialised in attacking midfield.
Because of the accused use of a forged Paraguayan passport, Ronaldinho is being held in a prison in Paraguay. The Agrupacion Especializada prison, which has the highest level of security in the nation is where he is staying.
Upon arriving in Asuncion, the capital city of Paraguay, at the beginning of March 2023, the World Cup winner and his brother Roberto were taken into custody. After then, both were sent in jail.
Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Stephan Kluivert, a former football player, coach, and sporting director from the Netherlands who was born on July 1, 1976.
He was the 19-year-old driver in the 1996 vehicle accident that claimed the life of Martin Putman, an Ajax fan. Rather than going to jail for reckless driving, Kluivert was sentenced to community service.
Duncan Ferguson
Born on December 27, 1971, Duncan Cowan Ferguson is a Scottish football coach and former player who currently holds the position of manager of Inverness Caledonian Thistle, a team in the Scottish Championship.
He was given and served a three-month jail sentence for assault in 1994 for the headbutt on the pitch to Raith Rovers defender John McStay.
George Best
Northern Irish professional football player George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a winger who played for Manchester United for the most of his club career.
His convictions for drunk driving, assaulting a police officer, and failing to appear in court resulted in a 12-week sentence at Ford Open Prison in 1984.
Rene Higuita
Former Colombian professional football player Jose Rene Higuita Zapata was born on August 27, 1966, and was a goalkeeper. He was incarcerated in 1993 following his involvement in an abduction that prevented him from participating in the FIFA World Cup in 1994.
Bruno Fernandes de Souza
Brazilian-born Bruno Fernandes das Dores de Souza, a professional football goalkeeper who was born on December 23, 1984.
He was found guilty on March 8, 2013, of assaulting, torturing, and killing his ex-girlfriend, who also happened to be the mother of his youngest kid, and received a 22-year jail sentence.
Jermaine Pennant
English retired professional football player Jermaine Lloyd Pennant was born on January 15, 1983, and he was a winger.
In 2012, Pennant admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol and was fined eight weeks in jail, suspended for a year, and prohibited from driving for three years while still a Stoke player.
Marlon King
Marlon Francis King, a former professional football player who was a striker, was born on April 26, 1980. After King was found guilty of s*xual assault charges and given an eighteen-month jail sentence, Wigan terminated his playing contract.
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright is a former professional football player and television and radio presenter from England who was born on November 3, 1963.
After doing 12 weeks in Chelmsford prison as a young person for failing to pay traffic fines, Wright made the decision to obtain a qualification.
Benjamin Mendy
France’s Benjamin Mendy was born on July 17, 1994, and currently plays left-back for Ligue 1 for Lorient.
He was cleared of the last few charges of s*xual offences. Mendy had previously been found not guilty in January of six counts of r*pe and one count of s*xual assault after a six-month trial. If found guilty, Mendy would have risked a significant prison sentence.
Mason Greenwood
England’s Mason Will John Greenwood was born on October 1, 2001, and is now on loan from Premier League team Manchester United to play striker for La Liga club Getafe.
After being accused of trying to commit r*pe, he was given bail and released. The 21-year-old was also accused of assault and of using coercive and controlling behaviour on multiple occasions.