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The wife of a kidnapped footballer found her husband's severed head dumped on her doorstep.

The player's eyes and tongue had been cut out and his head placed inside his own rucksack.

Horrified police in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, believe Joao Santos was targeted by drugs gangs because his wife Geisa, 31, works at a police base.

Joao, 35, who had played for several teams in the city as well as abroad, set up a health food shop after retiring from the game two years ago.

Witnesses said they saw several men bundling him into his car after he closed on Monday.

A relative said Geisa stayed up all night after her husband failed to arrive home.

He added: "She was getting ready to go to work at 5.30am when she heard a noise, opened the door and saw his rucksack. Inside was his head. From what I know, neither had any enemies."

Geisa is a social worker with military police battling violent gangs in Rio's notorious slums. Police hunting for Joao's body called it a "barbarous crime."