Uruguay's Arrascaeta goes viral after rescuing horse in northern Brazil

Arrascaeta's father was a jockey from whom he inherited his passion for horses, owning four

Brasília (Reuters) - Uruguay midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta rescued a horse that was loose in the middle of the street in a small town in northern Brazil, with a picture of the player and the animal going viral on social media.

Arrascaeta, who plays for Flamengo in Brazil, was spotted by a fan on Thursday, who took a picture with the player holding the animal. "I just picked him (the horse) up and left him in a safe place eating grass," the Uruguayan wrote on his social media.

According to local media outlet Globo, Arrascaeta's father was a jockey from whom he inherited his passion for horses, owning four, three of which compete in races.

The 28-year-old played for Uruguay at the World Cup and scored twice in their final group game against Ghana. He suffered a left thigh injury in the Carioca Championship semi-final between Flamengo and Vasco da Gama last month and will not return until May.