A 30-year-old man was on a beach holiday when strong currents washed him out to sea; nevertheless, in a move reminiscent of the movie Castaway, he now has a soccer ball to thank for his life.

Before being rescued 15 miles away, the Macedonian guy had to spend 18 hours in the Aegean Sea clinging onto the partially deflated leather ball.
Ivan was becoming fatigued despite being a competent swimmer when his luck failed his and the rainbow-colored ball floated toward him, according to Serbian news outlet Telegraf.

When word of Ivan’s real-life ‘Wilson!’ incident spread, two Greek kids claimed that the bright ball had been lost in the water 10 days earlier while they were playing football on the 80-mile-away island of Lemnos.

According to Global News, Ivan was discovered by a Greek Air Force chopper that was part of the search team hunting for Ivan’s friend, who hasn’t been located.

Ivan’s father and Kassandra Mayor Anastasia Chalkia were shown holding the ball in front of a hospital on the northern peninsula municipality.
‘I was kept constantly informed of the rescue’s progress and am delighted with how smoothly the young man’s journey ended.’