For almost two weeks, Ghana hoped. On 6 February 2023, a massive earthquake struck southern Turkey and Syria. Christian Atsu, the Ghanaian winger playing for Hatayspor, was in his apartment building in Antakya when it collapsed. Early reports suggested he had been rescued, but they were wrong. On 18 February, his body was found in the rubble. He was 31.
Early life, Porto and Chelsea
Atsu was born in 1992 in Ada Foah, in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region. He grew up in a modest family and developed his football at the Feyenoord Academy in Gomoa Fetteh. He moved to Portugal and joined Porto, spending a loan spell at Rio Ave before establishing himself. Chelsea signed him in 2013, but he never played a competitive match for the club, spending his time on loan at Vitesse, Everton, Bournemouth, Málaga and Newcastle.
Newcastle and AFCON 2015
At Newcastle, Atsu found a home. He joined on loan in 2016, helped the team win promotion to the Premier League, and signed permanently. Fans loved his pace and work rate. Atsu starred at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, where Ghana reached the final. He scored a stunning goal against Guinea in the quarter-final and won the tournament’s Player of the Tournament award. Ghana lost the final to Côte d’Ivoire on penalties.
The Black Stars, charity and Hatay
He played for Ghana at the 2014 World Cup and at several AFCONs, earning more than 60 caps. Atsu was known for quiet charity work, including paying to release prisoners jailed for small debts in Ghana and supporting children’s causes. He joined Turkish club Hatayspor in 2022. The night before the earthquake, he scored a winning goal from a free kick.
Tributes came from Newcastle, Chelsea, Porto and across Ghana. A state funeral was held in Accra, and he was buried in his hometown.
Legacy and the search
Atsu is remembered for his talent, humility and generosity. Football clubs and fans continue to honour him. Antakya, in Turkey’s Hatay province, was among the worst-hit cities in the earthquake, which killed tens of thousands of people across Turkey and Syria. For days, rescue teams searched the ruins of his building while fans and family waited for news.
Christian Atsu’s last goal came the night before the earthquake. Ghanaians remember him as much for the prisoners he freed as for the goals he scored.
