Ghana soccer player Christian Atsu found dead in Turkey earthquake

The body of Ghana soccer veteran Christian Atsu was found in the rubble of the Turkey earthquakes, his agent confirmed Saturday.

Atsu, 31, was playing for Turkish league club Hatayspor during this season and scored a game-winning goal the day before the 7.8 magnitude quake shattered sections of Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6.

“Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble. At the moment, his belongings are still being removed,” agent Murat Uzunmehmet told a Turkish news outlet.

Atsu was living in an apartment building in the southern Turkish city of Antakya, one of the cities hit hardest by the earthquake.

One day after the disaster struck, there were reports that Atsu had been found alive. However, the club Hatayspor later admitted it had received incorrect information.

“There are no words to describe our sadness,” the club tweeted Saturday.

Atsu was born in Ghana and began his professional soccer career before he turned 20 at Portuguese club Porto.

Atsu became internationally known when Chelsea signed him in 2013, though he rarely played for the English soccer juggernauts.

Atsu signed with Hatayspor in the Turkish Süper Lig before the 2022-2023 season. The day before the earthquake, he opted to stay with the club after scoring the winning goal, even though he had plans to leave the country.

The next day, the quake struck. So far, 43,000 people have been found dead, including 40,000 in Turkey.

With News Wire Services