Christian Atsu has tragically been confirmed to have died following the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria last week.
The 31-year-old's whereabouts remained unknown after the
7.8 magnitude earthquake that took place in the early hours of the morning of
February 6.
More than 42,000 people have been killed and thousands more
injured, while millions have been left homeless following the disaster.
There were hopes the former Chelsea, Newcastle, Bournemouth
and Everton winger had been rescued, but his club Hatayspor and agent Nana
Sechere had revealed over the past week that these claims were untrue.
Several search and rescue operations in the debris of the
building where Atsu and Hatayspor's sporting director Taner Savut lived, took
place - with Savut also missing.
Sechere explained on Tuesday how Atsu's exact 'room
location' and even two pairs of his shoes had been located.
It was then confirmed by another of Atsu's agents Murat
Uzunmehmet that he had been found under the rubble on Saturday, 12 days after
the earthquake.
Uzunmehmet told reporters: 'Atsu's lifeless body was found
under the rubble. Currently, more items are still being taken out. His phone
was also found.'
31-year-old Atsu enjoyed an extremely impressive football
career after he broke through with Portuguese giants Porto.
His exploits in Portugal - which also included a loan spell
at Rio Ave - led to Atsu earning a move to Chelsea.
He spent five years at Stamford Bridge but never actually
made an appearance for the first team as he spent temporary spells away from
the club with Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, Bournemouth, Malaga and Newcastle,
before he made a permanent move to the Magpies in 2016.
He was promoted to the Premier League with the club during
the 2016-17 season under Rafa Benitez and he made 121 appearances in total over
five years.
Upon leaving Newcastle, he moved to Saudi Arabia to play
for Al-Raed, before he joined Hatayspor last September.
Atsu also had a decorated international career, winning 65
caps for Ghana and scoring nine goals, while he also represented them at the
2014 World Cup.
He was awarded Player of the Tournament at the 2015 AFCON
when the Black Stars came runners-up.
After growing up in Ghana, Atsu had moved to Portugal to
pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer at the age of just 17.
Atsu was a devout Christian and married his wife
Marie-Claire Rupio Atsu in 2012. The couple had three children together - two
sons and a daughter. Newsday
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