The story of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘adopted son’, survivor of a tsunami that diminished his family

Cristiano Ronaldo is considered one of the best football players in the world. He has won the Ballon d’Or award five times, is the top scorer in the history of Real Madrid (currently plays for Juventus) and is the top scorer in the European Champions League. The striker is the author of another achievement that was born far from the stadiums and may have a future inside them: in 2004, he started to help a boy who lost almost his entire family in a tsunami in Indonesia and today, thanks to this support, the boy is part of a professional team, and has the dream of following in the sporting footsteps of the Portuguese.

O awesome.club presents the story of Martunis, a boy who at age 7 lost everything and today has a promising gift thanks to the solidarity and commitment of his idol. At the end of the post, you will find a bonus with other international stars who were also touched by this event.

On December 26, 2004, there was a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that was devastating to several countries in South and Southeast Asia. That day, Martunis was playing football with his friends on the beach in the city of Banda Acech, Indonesia, very close to the epicenter of the earthquake responsible for generating waves up to 30 meters high.

“First, I grabbed a chair we had at school, but I started to sink, until I saw a floating log. I got on it and it took me to the mainland”, said the boy, who was found three weeks later, wearing a Portuguese national team shirt.

The image of the child and his story of survival went around the world and caught the attention of the Portuguese Football Federation and the star Cristiano Ronaldo. Especially after Martunis confessed, in his first interviews with international media that he covered the natural disaster, his admiration for the striker and his fanaticism for the striker’s first club, Sporting Lisbon.

Upon learning of the incident, the then Manchester United player traveled to meet him in his destroyed city and promised to pay for his education. “I don’t think a lot of adults would be able to deal with what happened to this boy,” the star said at the time. “He’s a special boy,” he added.

Martunis was reunited with his father, also a survivor of the tsunami that killed his mother and brothers. The Portuguese Football Federation and CR7 himself decided to donate 40,000 euros (approximately 180,000 reais) to rebuild their home and invite them on a visit to Europe.

During the trip made in 2005, in which the press baptized him as Cristiano Ronaldo’s “adopted son”, the boy met Eusébio, a legendary Portuguese player and highlight of the 1966 World Cup, and the players of that country’s national team, before a match against Slovakia

Martunis grew up in his country and his love for today’s Juventus footballer continued to grow. In his accounts on social networks, he began to use the name of Martunis Ronaldo: from there, the boy constantly posts images of his idol and the successive encounters he had with the athlete during these years.

He never stopped playing football and, in 2015, he managed to fulfill another dream: Sporting Club de Lisboa, who followed him all the time, announced that they would sign him to integrate their youth divisions. “The 2004 tsunami survivor will grow up and graduate from the club,” stated the team on their Twitter.

Recent times have been full of ups and downs for the young man, now 22 years old. The difficulty of adapting to a new country, associated with a knee injury, meant that he still could not continue the sport.

However, his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo remains intact and last weekend he traveled to Turin to see Juventus win 4-3 over Napoli with a Portuguese goal.

Martunis’ story touched other international stars. Singers Celine Dion and Madonna also wanted to meet the boy who managed to survive the tsunami for 21 days and who became the international image of hope, in the midst of such a bleak picture.

The queen of pop even invited him to her home in London and helped him financially to see the city’s most famous sights and to visit other places in England.

Did you know this solidary side of Cristiano Ronaldo? Know another sports or entertainment celebrity who also helps those in need? Tell us in the comments section.