Boy Who Survived Indonesia's Tsunami Signs Pro Soccer Contract
A life-long fan will play at Sporting Lisbon's youth academy in Portugal.
— -- An Indonesian teenager, who bravely survived a deadly tsunami as a young boy, is now fulfilling his dream of becoming a professional soccer player.
When Martunis was just seven years old, a devastating tsunami struck Indonesia on Boxing Day 2004, killing his mother and two siblings, according to ESPN.
Martunis was stranded on a beach, and three weeks later was found wearing a Portugal soccer team shirt.
At the time, the boy said he wasn't afraid "because I wanted to be alive to meet my family and become a [soccer] player," ESPN reported.
Now, the life-long fan has signed a contract with Sporting Lisbon of Portugal. Martunis will play for the team's youth academy in Alcochete, Portugal, ESPN said.
A year after the tsunami, Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best soccer players in the world, visited Martunis and promised to pay for the boy's education, ESPN reported.
At the time, Ronaldo said, "I believe that many adults would not even be able to deal with what he has gone through."