Former President John Dramani Mahama has expressed grief on the untimely death of Ghana international Christian Atsu.
The winger was found dead after a double earthquake struck Turkey, where he played for Hatayspor.
The body of the 31-year-old was recovered on Saturday, February 2023, after 12 days of a frantic search for survivors by rescues.
Former President Mahama, who could not hold back his tears, said, “We all held our breaths, and we prayed as we heard the miracles of people pulled out of the rubble”.
He added on his Facebook page: “We prayed that ours would be one of those miracles, too. Alas, it was not to be. But in all, we give thanks to the almighty God for giving Atsu to us, even for the short 31 years of his life.
At this time, Lordina and I extend our deepest condolences to his family and the football fraternity in Ghana and across the globe”.
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Atsu was trapped in the rubble with the club’s sporting director, Taner Savut.
Confirming the unfortunate news, Atsu’s agent, Murat Uzunmehmet, tweeted, “Christian Atsu was found and unfortunately passed away.”
Atsu moved to Turkey last September and scored his first goal for Hatayspor just hours before the devastating earthquake.
To date, the disaster has claimed the lives of over 40,000 individuals as the affected area spanned from Turkey to Syria.
The former Everton winger is famously remembered for winning the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] best player.
Atsu was part of the Black Stars squad that featured at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
World football governing Fifa, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Ghana Football Association (GAF) have all expressed their condolences.
