Bandits carjack Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo

Inter Milan striker Ronaldo has had his silver sports utility BMW taken at gunpoint, his agent said on Monday.

Five bandits stopped the gap-toothed athlete on a coastal highway on his way home on Sunday and forced him out of his car, said agent Rodrigo Paiva.

Left unharmed by the bandits, Ronaldo, 24, hitched a ride to a police station. His vehicle was recovered about an hour later with the help of the global positioning alarm system built into the car.

On TV, the multimillionaire pleaded for the thieves to return his wallet.

Ronaldo, the most famous Brazilian player of his generation, was not as lucky as countryman and soccer legend Pele, who was let go when a robber recognized his famous victim in an attempted carjacking in Sao Paulo one year ago.

Ronaldo is in his native Rio de Janeiro recovering from knee surgery that has kept him sidelined since April.