Martin Demichelis, the former Manchester City defender, was pulled from treacherous waters alongside his three children after powerful currents dragged them out to sea while swimming near Uruguay's upmarket Punta del Este resort on New Year's Eve.
The 44-year-old's children Bastian, 16, Lola, 12, and eight-year-old Emma were caught in the dangerous conditions in an area without lifeguard supervision. His niece Camila was also swept up in the incident.
Footage of the dramatic rescue has spread rapidly across Argentina and Uruguay, with witnesses calling it miraculous that the family escaped unharmed.
The incident occurred on 31 December at a location called Eden Rock, though details only surfaced recently.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
Surfers who happened to be off-duty lifeguards taking a break spotted the family in distress and rushed to their aid.
Video captured the harrowing moments as the children gripped a surfboard while being pulled back towards the beach through heavy waves. Local beachgoers ran into the shallows to help as the group neared the shore.
Demichelis himself could be seen propelling the board from behind as his children held on tightly. Onlookers burst into applause when everyone reached safety.
Martin Demichelis and his children were fortunate to avoid any harm
|X
Unverified reports suggest the former Argentina international had jumped into the water after noticing his children were in trouble, before the surfers arrived to assist with the rescue.
Uruguayan journalist Gustavo Descalzi told Argentinian television programme A la Tarde: "It's a miracle they're alive. The place where this occurred is called Eden Rock near to a place known as San Vicente near to a home they rented."
He explained that whilst swimming is not prohibited at the location, the closest lifeguard station sits approximately one kilometre away.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Five facts about the Premier League | PA/GETTY/REUTERS/GBNEWS"The reason I say it's a miracle they're alive is that this incident happened during a lifeguard change-over and two went to have something to eat and went for a stroll up the beach and that's when they heard screaming," Descalzi added.
The journalist, who resides near the scene, described the stretch of coastline as particularly hazardous due to its depth and strong currents that pull swimmers away from land.
Demichelis joined Manchester City in September 2013 on a two-year deal reportedly worth £4.2million, departing the club on 10 June 2016.
He won the Premier League title during his time there.
Martin Demichelis won the Premier League title during his time at Man City
|GETTY
The footballer-turned-manager has yet to make any public statement regarding the near-tragedy.
His estranged wife, Evangelina Anderson, was reportedly made aware of what had happened to her children.
The former centre-back, who won the Premier League title during his time at the Etihad Stadium, was holidaying with his family at a rented property near San Vicente when the incident unfolded.
Despite the frightening ordeal, all those involved emerged physically unscathed from what locals have described as an extraordinarily fortunate outcome given the perilous conditions.