The mother of Rogerio, who plays for Sporting in Lisbon, has been kidnapped from her home in the town of Campinas, police have confirmed.

It is the fourth time the mother of a Brazilian soccer player has been kidnapped in the last few months.

“The only information we have is that there was a kidnapping and the captors have not made contact with the family yet,” a police spokesman in Sao Paulo said.

Last month, the mother of Sao Paulo striker Grafite, was held for a day before police rescued her, while in the most high profile kidnapping to date, the mother of Santos player Robinho was held for 41 days before being released.

Earlier this month, the mother of Porto player Luis Fabiano was kidnapped.