Premier League clubs, Chelsea and Newcastle United have honoured the memory of the late Christian Atsu.
Today, February 6, marks exactly one year since the former Ghanaian international was tragically confirmed dead following an earthquake in Turkey, which claimed numerous lives.
Atsu was feared to be among those trapped under the rubble of Hatayspor’s headquarters in Antakya after the quake struck. Despite hopes of finding him alive, he was sadly discovered lifeless.
Scheduled to depart southern Turkey shortly before the quake, Atsu opted to stay with the club after scoring the winning goal in a match on February 5, according to Hatayspor’s manager.
His body was repatriated from Turkey to Ghana on February 20. A one-week observance in honour of Christian Atsu was held on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the Adjiringanor AstroTurf in Accra, Ghana. On March 17, 2023, Atsu was given a state-assisted funeral at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra before being laid to rest in his hometown of Dogobome in Ada Foah.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo remarked, “Football has lost one of its finest ambassadors, one who will be difficult to replace.”
Atsu, who earned 69 caps for Ghana with 9 goals to his credit, had played for Porto, Vitesse, Bournemouth, Málaga, Al-Raed, and Hatayspor.
In the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Equatorial Guinea, Atsu was named the Best Player of the tournament despite Ghana’s loss to Ivory Coast in the finals.
Meanwhile, the charity Arms Around The Child praised Atsu – an ambassador for the organization since 2016 – highlighting him as the “main benefactor” of a school in Ghana supporting abandoned children, orphans, the chronically ill, and trafficking survivors.
Atsu, they noted, was “a young boy from poverty in Ghana who pursued his dreams and leveraged his talent and platform to assist others”.
