The news of the death of Ghanaian soccer player Christian Atsu after being trapped for hours in the rubble of the Turkish Earthquake has shocked the sports world. Atsu was found dead after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey’s Aegean coast on Friday, October 30th. The magnitude 7.0 quake left at least 115 people dead, including Atsu, with hundreds more injured or missing.
Christian Atsu was a professional soccer player who had signed with the English team Nottingham Forest in August 2020. Atsu had previously played for teams in Portugal, the Netherlands, and England, before joining Nottingham Forest. Atsu was born in Ghana and had been playing professionally since the age of 15. He was known to be a tireless worker, an excellent dribbler, and a gifted passer.
The news of Atsu’s death has been met with sadness by his former teams, as well as the soccer world in general. Nottingham Forest released a statement on their website after the news broke. The statement read, “We are deeply saddened at the news of Christian Atsu’s death following the Turkish Earthquake. Christian was an incredibly talented player, a hard worker, and a great friend to all at Nottingham Forest. Our thoughts are with Christian’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
The news of Atsu’s death has cast a shadow over the upcoming match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City on November 8th. Nottingham Forest manager Chris Hughton has said that the team will dedicate the match to Atsu and that they will be wearing black armbands in his memory.
The death of Christian Atsu is a tragedy that has affected the entire soccer community. Atsu was a highly talented player who will be dearly missed by his former teams, friends, and fans. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones at this difficult time.