This guy has one hell of a story to tell.
When he was just eight years old, Martunis was found alive, stranded on a beach, 21 days after being swept away by a giant Tsunami which devastated Indonesia in 2004. Over 230,000 people across 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean died in this Tsunami.
Martunis’ home town of Aceh in Indonesia was one of the worst hit areas with 170,000 people killed, including his mother and two sisters.
After being washed away by the Tsunami, the young Martunis managed to survive for 18 days on his own by eating that had also been swept out into the ocean.
The food ran out after 21 days, but fortunately for Martunis, he was found soon after and brought to a Sky News journalist.
Martunis won over the hearts of the people of Portugal, as he was wearing a Rui Costa jersey through the whole ordeal. When asked about how he managed to stay alive, Martunis admitted there were a couple of things that kept him going.
“I was not afraid at all at that time because I still wanted to be alive to meet my family and to be a football player.”
One of the more prominent personalities won over by Martunis’ inspiring tale of survival was Cristiano Ronaldo. The then Manchester United star paid for Martunis’ childhood house to be rebuilt for his family following the devastating Tsunami.
This week, Martunis incredible story continues after he fulfilled his dream of becoming a professional footballer by signing with Sporting Lisbon’s academy.
Hat-tip to 101 Great Goals
