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MEXICO CITY. — Mexican authorities have rescued football star Alan Pulido following his kidnapping in his crime-plagued home state of Tamaulipas, with the player declaring early yesterday he was “very well” despite the ordeal.

Pulido, a former national team forward who plays for Greek club Olympiakos, had a bandage on his right hand as he appeared alongside Governor Egidio Torre Cantu at a brief news conference, several hours after his abduction following a party.

The 25-year-old player was wearing a multicolour sleeveless shirt and shorts as he stood before the cameras, telling reporters he was “very well, very well, thank God.”

Pulido was rescued “safe and sound . . . shortly before midnight” on Sunday by state and federal forces, the Tamaulipas government said in a statement, without providing details about the operation.

Pulido underwent a medical exam, the statement said.

Torre Cantu told reporters that the authorities were going over the investigation and would provide more details later on.

“The most important thing is that he is here, he’s with us,” the governor said, following a huge police and military search operation by land and air.

Family members told authorities that six armed men snatched Pulido in his hometown of Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas, as he returned from a party. The government statement said the kidnapping took place on Saturday night, contrary to previous reports that it had happened at dawn on Sunday. — AFP.