Christian Atsu: Ghana Star Scored Superb Goal for His Club Hours Before Earthquake Disaster

• Christian Atsu was reported missing in Turkey following an earthquake
• The Ghanaian international plays for Turkish Super Lig club Hatayspor
• Only hours before the tragedy, Atsu was the match-winner for his club
• On Saturday, February 18, Atsu's agent confirmed the star is dead

Ghana international, Christian Atsu’s final contribution for his club before the Turkey earthquake tragedy was a superb one.

At the time of the publication of this article, Atsu's agent confirmed he had passed away after getting trapped under the rubble for days.

As per the BBC, more than 11 000 are dead as a result of the earthquake which hit southern Turkey and northern Syria.

Hatayspor's Sporting Director, Tenur Savut’s whereabouts were also a point of concern as he was also missing last week.

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Atsu’s wonderful free kick

In an interesting yet heartbreaking coincidence, tragedy struck Atsu barely hours after he netted the winner for his team, which desperately needed it.

It came in a Turkey Super Lig clash against Kasimpasa, with the game was almost certain to end in a 0-0 stalemate until Hatayspor got a free kick just outside the box.

With tension in the air, up stepped Atsu, who struck a low shot to beat the wall and the Kasimpasa goalkeeper, giving his side an important three points which helped them out of the relegation zone.

Watch the Atsu goal below:

More about Atsu’s career

Prior to his move to Turkey, the Ghana international had stints in the Premier League with Chelsea and Newcastle United, per Transfermkt.

His career took off in Portugal with FC Porto however, before he eventually joined the Blues in 2013. However, he did not make an appearance at Stamford Bridge, instead being loaned out to clubs including Bournemouth, Everton and the Magpies.

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Atsu eventually penned a four-year deal with Newcastle in 2017 after a successful loan spell, going on to make 121 appearances for the Tyneside club.

In 2015, he was named player of the tournament at the Africa Cup of Nations, thanks to his exploits for Ghana.

Atsu is dead, tributes pour in

Soon after news of Atsu’s passing tributes started flowing in from the footballing world.

Former Chelsea defender John Terry was among those who shared a heartfelt post on social media to celebrate the midfielder, who died aged 31.

Atsu last played for the Black Stars of Ghana in 2019 at the Africa Cup of Nations. He had a temporal break from the team as he revealed he wanted to concentrate on club football.