The worst news about the former Málaga player Christian Atsu has come 13 days after his disappearance among the rubble of the block of flats where he lived in the Turkish city of Hatay, where he had recently arrived to play for Hatayspor in the country’s First Division. The hopes of finding him alive were already minimal and this Saturday morning his death was confirmed after his lifeless body was located. He was 31 years old.
The information has been confirmed by his representative, Nana Sechere: «With the greatest regret I have to announce to all supporters that, unfortunately, the body of Christian (Atsu) was recovered this morning. My condolences to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for his prayers and support. And I ask that while we make the necessary arrangements, you all respect the privacy of the family during this very difficult time.”
Thus ends a harrowing trance of almost two weeks where confusion reigned over Atsu’s whereabouts. His current club, Hatayspor, came to report that he had been able to be rescued and taken to a hospital, but when they went to look for him they regretted that he had been a terrible mix-up. The same entity reported this Saturday that “the funeral of our footballer Christian Atsu, who lost his life in the collapse, is on its way to be sent to his hometown, Ghana. We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be with you, beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness. Rest in peace”.
In Malaga, this news has been followed with special interest by the memory that Atsu left in the blue and white club. He played for the Martiricos entity in 2016 during the second part of the 15-16 season. He came as a reinforcement on loan from English Bournemouth and helped with 12 appearances and two goals (one of them in his debut at La Rosaleda). Málaga, on their social networks, has also conveyed his condolences. “We deeply regret the death. A very strong hug for the family, friends and colleagues from your club. Rest in peace Christian.
After that, the attacker spent five seasons with Newcastle before moving to Saudi Arabia’s Al Raed first before moving to Turkish First Division side Hatayspor ahead of this 22-23 campaign. Just hours before the earthquake, recorded at around 5:00 am (Hatay time) on Monday the 6th, he had been the protagonist when he scored the winning goal for his team in the 97th minute against Kasımpaşa.