Police rescue kidnapped sister of AC Milan striker

SAO PAULO, March 13 (Reuters) - The five-month kidnap ordeal of the sister of AC Milan's Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliveira ended on Tuesday when police rescued her from a Sao Paulo apartment, police and the Italian soccer team said.

"It was hell. I would be dead if the police hadn't showed up," Maria de Lourdes Silva de Oliveira, 36, said on Globo TV.

An anonymous tipster told police where to find the footballer's older sister. The Milan club did not say if a ransom was paid.

Oliveira was at least the eighth professional soccer player to have a family member kidnapped and then freed in Sao Paulo state, Brazil's biggest, since 2004, when kidnapping rings expanded their lists of targets to include sports players.

The most infamous case involved the mother of Real Madrid striker Robinho, who spent more than 40 days in captivity.

Police said Oliveira's sister was in bad shape.

"She was very malnourished and dehydrated, with high blood pressure," district police chief Luis Carlos do Carmo said. "She said she suffered some violence. She had scrapes and bruises on her body."

She was taken from her home in Sao Paulo on Oct. 4 last year. At the time, police sources said at least two armed kidnappers broke into her home. She was taken away while her husband and 8-year-old son were tied up.

"This is a joyous moment for everyone, not just me. At the same time, you can't really understand how horrible it is to go through something like this unless you have experienced it first hand," the player said in a statement. "Now, I can focus on playing football." (Additional reporting by James Eve in Rome)