Born in Larnaca in Cyprus and raised in Sydney, the 18 year-old was spotted by European scouts when captaining the Joeys at the AFC U16 Championships in 2016.

The then 16-year-old was given the chance to spend time on trial with English Premier League giants Manchester City and Tottenham but Martis opted to sign with Danish Super Liga Champions FC Midtjylland instead

The decision paid off and the central midfielder is now vice-captain of the U19 team and last year the teenager made his senior debut in a friendly.

Speaking to FTBL from his base in Europe, the midfielder spoke of his joy at signing his first professional football contract which will keep him at the club for the next five years.

“It’s definitely something special,” he said. “It’s a great feeling. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a young boy. 

“It was a very proud moment and of course I was very happy – but I also knew that this wasn’t going to be an easy ride. This was just the beginning. I knew that a lot of sacrifices had to be made and it was going to be a long road.

“My most memorable moment was winning the U19 league last season – which led to the team qualifying for UEFA Youth League – and also making my debut with the first team at the age of 17.”

Growing up in Australia, Martis played his youth football with Sydney Olympic and Bankstown Berries before spending two years at the NSW Institute of Sport.

But he said the playing standard of European football was an eye opener. when he first started at FC Midtjylland.

“The standard in Denmark is very high,” he said. “FC Midtjylland is one of the top clubs in Europe for creating and developing players and they have a history and a name for it making it a great place to be. 

“Being in Europe has made me mature a lot faster as a footballer. I see the game differently and have that European mentality to win at all cost.

“The game here compared to Australia is so much faster and physical.

“We have a lot of specialised coaches at my club to help us develop in different areas of the game. For example special training coaches for attacking, defending, midfield, shooting and free kicks.

“The goal for this year will be to win the league and go as far as possible in the UEFA youth champions league. 

“I’ve wanted to play football in Europe from a young age. The exposure you receive and the opportunities are more than it is in Australia.”
 

Martis has played for Cyprus in a number of international youth friendlies and will be competing for the U19 National Youth team in the upcoming European Championships qualifiers.

The former Joeys captain revealed he was called up to recent Young Socceroos squad camps but his club commitments with FC Midtjylland had ruled him out.

"FFA had contacted me," he said. "I was invited to the AFC training camp and the games that were played in Japan.

"Unfortunately they were both out of the FIFA window  and my club wouldn’t release me for those events due to the UEFA youth games and league games."