The tragic news of the passing of Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu has left the football community in shock and grief. The 31-year-old was found dead under the rubble of the building he lived in, in southern Turkey, after last week’s massive earthquakes. His Turkish agent and club Hatayspor confirmed the news on Saturday.
Atsu had been missing since the February 6 earthquakes that devastated southern Turkey and northwestern Syria. His lifeless body was found in the ruins of Ronesans Residence, a luxury 12-storey building where he had been living in the city of Antakya in Hatay province. The building’s contractor was arrested at Istanbul airport last week while apparently trying to leave the country for Montenegro.
Atsu had been scheduled to fly out of southern Turkey hours before the earthquakes, but Hatayspor’s manager said on Friday that the Ghanaian opted to stay with the club after scoring the winning goal in a Super Lig match on February 5. Ghana’s ministry of foreign affairs said it had “received the unfortunate news” and his elder brother and twin sister, along with an officer of the Ghanaian embassy, were present at the site when the body was recovered.
Tributes have poured in for Atsu on social media, including heartfelt messages from his former clubs. Chelsea Football Club tweeted, “Everyone at Chelsea Football Club is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of our former player, Christian Atsu. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.” Newcastle United described him as “a talented player and a special person, he will always be fondly remembered by our players, staff and supporters”. Everton also released a statement on Twitter, saying the club was “deeply saddened” by the news of Atsu’s death.
Atsu won 65 caps for Ghana and helped them reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final, where they lost to Ivory Coast on penalties. He was last selected to play for Ghana in 2019. The funeral of our football player is on his way to be sent to his hometown, Ghana. We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be upon you, beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness. REST in PEACE ATSU.