Robson De Souza, popularly known as Robinho, has been sentenced to nine years in prison in his home country of Brazil after being convicted of gang rape in Italy.
Robinho will remain free pending a possible appeal of Wednesday's ruling.
He was one of six men found guilty of assaulting a woman in an Italian nightclub in 2013, while he was playing for AC Milan.
Robinho made appearances for top teams during his career, including Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The 40-year-old Brazilian also appeared in 100 matches for the Brazilian national team, scoring 28 goals.
