The Ghana international forward, Christian Atsu, 31, who was a former player for Premier League clubs Chelsea and Newcastle, has died in the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey.
Atsu was playing for the Turkish club Hatayspor in the heavily affected Hatay province and was residing in a luxury 12-story building in the city of Antakya when the quake struck. His body was recovered from the ruins of the building by search teams on a Saturday, as confirmed by his manager, Murat Uzunmehmet. The manager noted that the player’s belongings were still being removed from the rubble.
Just hours before the earthquake, Atsu had scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory for Hatayspor over Kasimpasa. The club later tweeted their profound sadness and confirmed that Atsu’s body was being repatriated to Ghana. The club’s sporting director, Taner Savut, who lived in the same building, remains missing. The contractor of the collapsed building was detained at Istanbul Airport a week prior while attempting to leave the country.
A day after the earthquake, there were mistaken reports that Atsu had been rescued, which the club initially supported before confirming they were incorrect. Atsu’s agent, Nana Sechere, had traveled to Turkey with the player’s family to coordinate the search, and though rescuers had pinpointed his room location over a week later, they only recovered two pairs of his shoes before finally finding his body.
The death drew tributes from leaders and the football community. Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo posted a photo of Atsu, noting that Ghana football had lost one of its finest personnel and ambassadors, one who will be difficult to replace, and would be sorely missed.
I extend sincere, heartfelt condolences to the widow, children and family of our fellow Ghanaian, Christian Atsu, on the sad news of his death. Ghana football has lost one of its finest personnel and ambassadors, one who will be difficult to replace. He’ll be sorely missed. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/CqTkEsY4Op
— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) February 18, 2023
Atsu earned over 60 caps for the Ghana national team, scoring on his 2012 debut. He was part of the squad for the 2014 World Cup and starred at the 2015 African Cup of Nations, where he helped Ghana reach the final and was named the Player of the Tournament.
