Ghanaian international footballer Christian Atsu was found dead after the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey. His manager in Turkey, Murat Uzunmehmet, told DHA news agency on Saturday that Atsu’s body was recovered from the rubble in the southern province of Hatay.
Atsu was born in January 1992 in Ghana. He began his professional career with Porto before being signed by Chelsea, where he spent four seasons, and later moving permanently to Newcastle United in 2017. In September of last year he joined Turkish Süper Lig side Hatayspor, where he was playing at the time of his death, and he also represented the Ghana national team as a midfielder.
Among his achievements, Atsu won both the Player of the Tournament and Goal of the Tournament awards at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He married Marie‑Claire Rupio in 2012 and was a father to three children—two sons and a daughter.
Chelsea issued a statement expressing “enormous sadness” at the news of his death, while Newcastle paid tribute, calling him “a talented player and a special person” who had helped the Magpies secure the Championship title in 2017 and later re‑establish themselves in the Premier League.
Search and rescue workers found Atsu’s body at the Ronesans Residence, a high‑rise luxury block that collapsed in Antakya, Hatay. Turkish police arrested the building’s contractor at Istanbul airport last week after he was seen heading to Montenegro, according to state news agency Anadolu. Ghana announced it is working with the Turkish government to arrange the transport of Atsu’s body back to his home country for burial.
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