Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu has been found dead under the earthquake rubble in Hatay after days of searching for him.
The Hatayspor winger had been missing for 12 days since the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and some parts of Syria on February 6.
Multiple media reports in Turkey have confirmed that the Ghanaian winger has now been found but unfortunately its only his lifeless body was recovered.
Atsu’s Turkish agent, Murat Uzunmehmet has also confirmed the demise of the Ghanaian footballer who had been missing for days.
The player’s family members including his twin sister and agents have been in Hatay, Renaissance residence where he was staying before the disaster struck as they observed the rescue mission firsthand.
On Friday, news emerged that the player’s passport and his wallet containing some amount of money had been recovered while prior to that his agent disclosed that his footwear had been found at his residence.
In the wee hours of Saturday, the dreaded news of Christian Atsu’s passing has been announced.
The last few weeks have not been easy for most Ghanaians and anyone related to the slain footballer as initially reports emerged he had been found alive only for his club to deny it later.
On Tuesday 7th February 2023, news emanated from Turkey that the Ghanaian has been found alive after barely 26 hours under the earthquake rubble and had been sent to the hospital for treatment.
But on Wednesday, his club Hatayaspor performed a sharp u-turn claiming that Atsu had still not been found and the reports of finding him were a mistaken identity.
The winger who joined the Turkish side in the summer scored on the Sunday before the earthquake in the last minute as his side defeated Kasimpasa 1-0.
He joined his new club on a free transfer after ending his brief stint with Saudi Arabian side Al Raed in July 2022.
The former FC Porto winger departed European football in July 2021 after leaving Newcastle United as a free agent but his stint in the Gulf region did not go according to plan as he made a quick dash back to Europe.
Atsu has in the past played for several clubs in Europe including FC Porto, Everton, AFC Bournemouth, Chelsea, Malaga CF, and Newcastle United, among others.
Atsu has been capped 60 times for the Black Stars of Ghana with ten goals to his credit and was the 2015 AFCON Player of the Tournament after Ghana lost in the finals to Ivory Coast.
He played 258 matches in his career and scored 24 goals with 30 assists.
