A Brazilian goalkeeper who ordered the murder of his girlfriend in 2010 and fed her to his dogs, has incredibly claimed that he’s "not a bad guy" after his recent release from prison.

Bruno Fernandes de Souza, the goalie also known as Bruno in Brazil, was released from prison last month, after serving less than one third of his 22 year sentence for his horrendous crime.

He was set free due to a legal technicality, as the country’s courts had failed for several years to rule on his appeal.

As quoted in the Guardian, Bruno said this in his first big interview since he was released :

“Dude, what happened, happened. I made a mistake, a serious one, but mistakes happens in life – I’m not a bad guy. People tried to bury my dream because of one mistake, but I asked God for forgiveness, so I’m carrying on with my career, dude. I’m starting over.”

He has wasted no time in getting his footballing career back on track. Signed by Boa Esporte, a second-division club in Brazil, his return to football has prompted a wave of protests and sponsership withdrawals.

Rone Moraes da Costa, the president of Boa Esporte, defended the decision, “If this city doesn’t like it, I move us to another city. Bruno deserves this chance.”

Goleiro Bruno acerta por 2 anos com o Boa e volta ao futebol. pic.twitter.com/zQwiwB6MhS

— Boa Esporte Clube (@BoaEsporteOFC) March 10, 2017

32 year old Bruno was at one point one of the hottest prospects in South America – even being tipped to play for Brazil at the 2014 World Cup.

After leading local club Flamengo to top of the league, there were also rumours linking him then to Serie A giants AC Milan.

He was convicted in 2010 of ordering the killing of Eliza Samudio, a model who was his former partner and the mother of his son to avoid paying child support. He allegedly conspired with six others (including his lover and ex-wife) who tortured, strangled and dismembered Samudio, then fed her body to Bruno’s Rottweilers.

In its latest country report, Amnesty International had noted that lethal violence against women had increased by 24 percent over the previous decade and confirmed that Brazil was one of the worst Latin American countries in which to be a girl or woman.

But it seems there are people who are willing to overlook murder and torture, as long as their team has a famous goalkeeper that lets in fewer goals than the other teams.

Sounds perverse but it's true.

Top photo from Getty Images

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.