Miracle tsunami survivor Martunis joins Cristiano Ronaldo’s former team Sporting Lisbon | July 2, 2015 Martunis was seven years old when he was discovered alive but alone, nearly three weeks after a giant tsunami that killed about 230,000 people in 14 different countries hit the northern Indonesian region of Banda Aceh. He had been playing football in his village of Tibang when the earthquake struck, but became separated from his family when the ensuing wave hit. Sadly, Martunis’ mother and two siblings were both killed by the tsunami, which left him marooned in a mangrove swamp. He survived for 19 days on his own after the wave hit, drinking puddle water and eating dried noodles that had been washed out to sea. He was discovered by a Sky News crew and reunited with his father in hospital, and became famous not just because of his remarkable story, but also because he was found wearing a Portugal football shirt. When asked about his ordeal by Kyodo News, Martunis said ‘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’. Inspired by his story, the Portuguese FA donated €40,000 to help rebuild Martunis’ house and, in 2005, Cristiano Ronaldo travelled to Aceh to visit him, promised to pay for his education and invited him to visit Sporting Lisbon’s ground. And Martunis, now 17, is set to follow in his idol’s footsteps after Sporting offered him the chance to play in their youth academy in Alcochete – the very place where Ronaldo began his own career. According to Maisfutebol, Sporting’s president Bruno de Carvalho said that the club will help Martunis grow as both a footballer and a man, and will play for the club’s under-19 team. “I believe that many adults would not even be able to deal with what he has gone through, we must respect him. His act was an act of strength and maturity. He’s a special kid.“ – Cristiano Ronaldo said at that time
