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The body of former Chelsea and Newcastle player Christian Atsu is being flown to Ghana.
Atsu was found dead on Saturday following the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
In a statement issued on Sunday morning, the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The Government of Ghana is making arrangements to receive the remains of the late Christian Atsu, a former Black Stars player. The remains will be accompanied by his family. and the Ghanaian Ambassador to Turkiye on a Turkish Airlines flight and will arrive in Accra at 7:40pm on Sunday, February 19, 2023.”
The ministry confirmed that Atsu’s brother and sister were present when his body was recovered.
The 31-year-old man had been missing since the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck in the early hours of February 6, but one of his officers confirmed on Saturday that Atsu’s body had been discovered under the rubble.
Christian Atsu, 31, has been found dead after the devastating earthquake in Turkey
The whereabouts of the Ghanaian international were unknown after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake
Murat Uzunmehmet revealed the devastating news of Atsu’s death, 12 days after the disaster struck, telling reporters on Saturday: ‘Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble. Currently, more items are still being released. His phone was also found.
Another of Atsu’s agents, Nana Sechere, also announced the news.
“It is with the greatest regret that I have to announce to all supporters that Christian Atsu’s body was unfortunately recovered this morning,” he said.
‘My condolences to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support.’
Atsu’s relatives waited for news as search and rescue operations were carried out in Turkey.
Atsu’s Hatayspor club called him “a beautiful person” and said there were “no words to describe our sadness”.
“The funeral of our football player Christian Atsu, who lost his life in the landslide, is on his way to be sent to his hometown, Ghana,” they said on Twitter, covering up his profile picture.
‘We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be with you, beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness. Rest in peace.
Atsu’s former club Everton were among the first Premier League teams to pay tribute.
“We are deeply saddened by the news today that Christian Atsu has been found dead following the earthquake in Turkey earlier this month,” they said.
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues at Hatayspor and all those affected by this tragic event that has claimed so many lives.”
Atsu enjoyed an extremely impressive career, appearing for Newcastle and Chelsea.
Newcastle United, where Atsu spent four years of his career, said Atsu would be “fondly remembered” by everyone at the club.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that Christian Atsu has tragically lost his life in the devastating earthquakes in Turkey,” they said on social media.
‘A talented player and a special person, he will always be fondly remembered by our players, staff and supporters. He rests in peace, Christian.
Atsu’s wife and children were at St James’ Park on Saturday for Newcastle’s game against Liverpool.
Newcastle paid tribute to their former player Atsu before their match against Liverpool
Newcastle paid tribute to Atsu before the game with a minute’s silence.
Eddie Howe said: ‘This is a real tragedy for Christian and his family.
“I woke up to the news and was really devastated. Many players in our locker room played with it, I made reference to that in my pre-match conversation with the players.”
Allan Saint-Maximin recalled a story of how he was welcomed to the club by Atsu when he joined Newcastle.
He said: ‘It’s a really sad day for Newcastle and the players. Most of the players know him well, he was a great guy and we had a great time with him. It is very painful. Some things are hard for me, I will never forget it.
“It’s hard to explain, I’ll tell you the truth, when I came to Newcastle he was always giving me advice, a very nice guy, always joking and smiling every day.” He was a great person. I know him… it’s a hard day for me. I will try to do my best and think of him and do my best.
Chelsea, Atsu’s first Premier League club, said: ‘Everyone at Chelsea Football Club is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of our former player, Christian Atsu. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.’
Former Chelsea captain John Terry paid tribute to Atsu, writing: ‘RIP my friend’.
There were hopes that the former winger had been rescued after the disaster unfolded, but Hatayspor and agent Sechere had revealed over the past week that these the claims were false.
Several search and rescue operations were carried out in the rubble of the building where Atsu and Hatayspor sporting director Taner Savut lived, with Savut also missing.
Atsu had been in Turkey since joining Hatayspor in September last year after leaving Al-Raed.
Sechere explained on Tuesday how Atsu’s exact ‘room location’ and even two pairs of his shoes had been pinpointed.
More than 42,000 people have died and thousands more have been injured in the quake, while millions have been left homeless.
Tremors from the deadly quake, which lasted about a minute and could be the largest to hit Turkey, were felt as far away as Egypt, Lebanon and the island of Cyprus.
Atsu was scheduled to fly in from southern Turkey hours before the quake hit, but the Hatayspor manager said on Friday the Ghanaian had opted to stay with the club after scoring the game-winning goal in a Super Lig match on 5 April. February.
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 signing for Chelsea.
He spent five years at Stamford Bridge but never actually made a first-team appearance, having spent stints away from the club with Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, Bournemouth, Malaga and Newcastle, before making 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 Benítez and made 121 total appearances over five years.
The 31-year-old moved to Portugal at 17 to pursue his dream after growing up in Ghana.
On leaving Newcastle, he moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Raed, before joining Hatayspor last September.
Atsu also had a decorated international career, earning 65 caps for Ghana and scoring nine goals, while also representing them at the 2014 World Cup.
He was awarded Player of the Tournament at AFCON 2015 when the Black Stars came in second.
After growing up in Ghana, Atsu moved to Portugal to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer at the age of 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.