New Delhi, March 21 (IANS): Ex-Real Madrid and Manchester City forward Robinho will have to serve a nine-year prison sentence for rape in Brazil, the court ruled.

In 2017, Robinho was sentenced in Italy to nine years in prison for his part in a group sexual assault of a 22-year-old Albanian woman in 2013, when he played for AC Milan.

But at the time he had already travelled to his homeland Brazil, which does not extradite its nationals. As a result, Italy sought his imprisonment in his home nation.

A Brazilian court, following a request from Italy, has now ruled that he must serve out the prison sentence in Brazil, judges on Brazil's Superior Court of Justice voted 9-2 to validate Robinho's conviction, Sky news reported.

Eight of the 10 votes cast in the Superior Tribunal of Justice (STJ) case were in favour of Robinho's arrest and serving of the sentence on home soil.

Robinho's lawyer, Jose Eduardo Alckmin, stated in court that his client seeks a retrial in Brazil on the basis of national sovereignty, indicating potential appeal to the country's Supreme Court.

The ex-Brazilian international, who has 100 national caps, won two La Liga championships during his four-year tenure with Real Madrid.

He later transferred to Manchester City in September 2008 for a then-British record fee of £32.5 million on transfer deadline day.