Former Brazilian football star Robinho has been arrested to begin serving a nine-year prison sentence for rape.

Robinho, now 40, was convicted in Italy two years ago for his involvement in the gang rape of an Albanian woman at a nightclub in Milan in 2013.

Authorities apprehended him at his residence in Santos, his hometown in Brazil.

The Italian government sought his extradition, but after failing to secure it, requested that he serve his sentence in Brazil.

A Brazilian court upheld this decision on Wednesday, ruling that Robinho must serve his time in prison rather than under house arrest.

On Thursday, a Supreme Court judge dismissed a request to halt his detention.

Many in the local media have commended Brazil’s justice system for its decisive action, amid concerns that Robinho might evade justice due to his fame and wealth.

The former Brazil international, who earned 100 caps for his country, was playing for AC Milan when the crime occurred. He lost an appeal in 2020, and Italy’s highest court upheld his sentence in 2022.

Following this, Italian prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant.

Robinho, who also had a stint with Manchester City, claimed in an interview with a Brazilian network on Sunday that the sexual encounter was consensual.