Remains of Christian Atsu, who was killed in the earthquake that struck Turkey, were repatriated to Ghana
Former Ghanaian footballer and World Cup hero Christian Atsu’s body has been repatriated to his home country from Turkey. The body of missing man Atsu was found in the ruins of the February 6 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria. Hatayspor, the Turkish football team that Christian Atsu played for, was headquartered in the earthquake-ravaged Hatay province.
As his team won in the final minute of their Super Lig encounter on February 5, Atsu decided to stay in Turkey even though he had been planning to leave the country hours before the earthquake.
Murat Uzunmehmet, Atsu’s Turkish agent, has verified that his body was discovered on Saturday in the wreckage. His family and the Ghanaian ambassador to Turkey are flying with his remains to Ghana on Turkish Airlines, and the Ghanaian government has confirmed that plans have been made to receive his remains.
Former Chelsea player Christian Atsu also spent time at Everton and Bournemouth in the Premier League of the United Kingdom and helped Newcastle gain promotion to the top flight of English soccer.
He competed for Ghana in the 2014 World Cup and was named the tournament’s top player in 2015.
Chelsea and Everton were just two of the many football teams to pay respect to Atsu on social media. The Newcastle United football club tweeted their “deep sadness” at the news, calling Atsu a “great player and a special person” who would be “fondly remembered by our players, staff, and supporters.” Marie-Claire Rupio, Atsu’s wife of ten years, and their three children are left behind. Almost 46,000 people have died by Saturday as a result of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.