Wednesday’s surprise decision by the court caught prosecutors off guard as the footballer had routinely been refused bail since his arrest in January 2023 on grounds he was a high flight risk.

One of the world’s most decorated footballers, Alves, 40, was convicted last month of raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub in the early hours of December 31, 2022.

His lawyers swiftly appealed the conviction, and on Tuesday they requested he be let out on bail on grounds he had already served a quarter of his four-and-a-half-year sentence in pre-trial detention.

A day later, the Barcelona court approved the request in exchange for posting bail of €1 million, handing over his Spanish and Brazilian passports, remaining in the country, and presenting himself to court “on a weekly basis”.

It also banned him from being “within 1,000m” of the victim or trying to contact her.

But by 2pm local time on Thursday – the daily cut-off time for presenting the funds – Alves’ representatives had not transferred the money meaning he would spend at least another night in jail, legal sources said.

Since his arrest, he has been held at a prison near Barcelona.

The appeal process could take months to complete.

The court’s decision to grant him bail was angrily denounced by the victim’s lawyer as “justice for the rich”.