that devastated his country and has followed in the
footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo in joining the club
Sporting Lisbon have announced the signing of
Indonesian talent Martunis, who famously survived
the 2004 earthquake and tsunami that devastated
his home region of Aceh.
The then-eight-year-old was playing football with
his friends when the disaster - which killed his
mother and both his sisters - struck, with the
youngster forced to cling on to debris as the wave
powered through the region.
Martunis survived for the next 20 days on food
floating in the water after being washed onto
swampland, before finally being rescued by a
British journalist and appearing on media around
the world.
Footage of the boy subsequently attracted the
attention of Sporting graduate Cristiano Ronaldo,
whose support for him and his father allowed the
teenager to finish high school before enrolling in
the Portuguese giants' famous youth academy.
"It's great to be here, this club makes my dream
possible," he said at his presentation. "I am
incredibly excited about this opportunity. Viva
Sporting!"
"Martunis will work at the academy. We will work
with him also in his development as a human
being and as a man," president Bruno de Carvalho
added.
"Helping to make dreams come true and others to
live decent lives honours the mission of the club
and its place in society."
The 17-year-old had previously stated his
intention to follow in his grandfather's footsteps
and become a professional footballer, four years
on from the tsunami disaster which killed close to
230,000 people in Asia and Africa.
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