Former soccer star Robinho surrendered himself on Thursday to commence a nine-year prison term in Brazil, more than a decade after allegations of rape were first leveled against him in Italy.

Departing from his residence in the coastal city of Santos, near Sao Paulo, the 40-year-old was escorted by authorities in a black police vehicle.

In accordance with Brazilian legal procedures, Robinho is slated to undergo an initial hearing with a judge to address any potential irregularities in the legal process that led to his arrest. Following this, he will be transferred to a penitentiary, the location of which has not yet been disclosed.

Robinho’s imprisonment stems from a conviction related to the rape of a woman in Italy over ten years ago.

Earlier on the same day, Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux denied Robinho’s petition for habeas corpus, which would have allowed him to remain at liberty until all appeals were exhausted. His legal team is advocating for a retrial in Brazil based on grounds of national sovereignty.

A Brazilian higher court ruling determined that Robinho must serve his sentence within his home country, following his 2017 conviction for rape in Italy.

In a 9-2 decision, judges at Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice in Brasilia upheld the conviction of the former Real Madrid, Manchester City, and AC Milan forward.

Robinho was handed a nine-year prison sentence in Italy for his involvement in a group sexual assault in 2013, during his tenure at AC Milan.

Due to Brazil’s policy against extraditing its nationals, Italy pursued enforcement of Robinho’s sentence within his home country.