Soccer player Alan Pulido, a forward with Olympiacos in the Greek league, has been rescued by Mexican police after his kidnapping in the northeast border state of Tamaulipas, officials said Monday.
Pulido appeared outside state police offices with one of his hands bandaged alongside Tamaulipas Gov. Egidio Torre Cantu. When reporters asked him how he was, Pulido replied: “Very well, thank God.”
“The most important thing is that he is here. He is with us,” Torre Cantu said.
The Tamaulipas security coordination group said in a statement earlier Monday that the rescue occurred shortly before midnight and involved state and federal police.
State police spokesman Evaristo Gutierrez said one suspect has been arrested, but provided no details.
Pulido, 25, was kidnapped Saturday night as he left a party near his hometown of Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas, a state that has suffered battles between major drug gangs.
Reporters in Tamaulipas saw an unusual deployment of troops and police in the streets, while at least two police or military-style helicopters flew overhead.
Pulido was part of Mexico’s 2014 World Cup team, though he wasn’t called up for the Copa America tournament that starts this coming week.
In the most recent season, he scored five times in eight appearances with Olympiacos.
He debuted and played several seasons with the club Tigres of Monterrey before leaving in 2014 to play in Europe, though he has been in a dispute with the Mexican club about whether his contract there continues to be valid.