Christian Atsu Twasam was a professional football player from Ghana who mostly played as a winger but could also play as an offensive midfielder.
In addition to spending a season on loan at Rio Ave, Christian Atsu started his career at Porto. He was acquired by Chelsea in 2013 for £3.5 million, who afterward loaned him to Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, AFC Bournemouth, and Málaga. He signed a permanent transfer to Newcastle United in May 2017 after playing on loan there during the 2016–17 campaign.
Christian Atsu, a full international with more than 60 appearances under his belt since his 2012 debut, represented Ghana at the 2014 FIFA World Cup as well as four Africa Cup of Nations competitions. At the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, where he also won Player of the Tournament and Goal of the Tournament, he contributed to the team’s second-place result.
HIS EARLY LIFE
Christian Atsu was born in the Greater Accra Region’s Ada Foah. He completed a portion of his education at the West African Football Academy in Sogakope, in the Volta Region of Ghana, which is now located at the former Feyenoord Football Academy in Gomoa Fetteh, in the Central Region of Ghana. Later, he relocated to Kasoa to join Cheetah FC.
FC PORTO
Christian Atsu arrived in Porto when he was 17 years old. He was selected by André Villas-Boas, the manager of the first team, for a match against Martimo in the Primeira Liga on May 14, 2011, although he remained on the bench.
Christian Atsu, like his teammate Kelvin, was loaned out to Rio Ave of the same league for the 2011–12 campaign. On August 28, 2011, he made his competition debut against Olhanense in a 0-1 home loss. Atsu scored the first goal against Benfica on December 16, 2011, at Estádio da Luz, although the home team went on to win 5-1.
He went back to Porto for the 2012–13 season, starting nine of his league games as they won the title for the third time in a row. [8]. In memory of Atsu
CHELSEA
Christian Atsu agreed to sign a five-year contract with Chelsea on September 1 for an estimated £3.5 million; however, he was promptly loaned out to Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem for the remainder of the 2013–14 campaign.
VITESSE (LOAN)
Christian Atsu made his debut against Feyenoord on October 6, 2013, coming on as a late replacement for Kazaishvili. Later, he assisted Mike Havenaar, but it was not enough to save Vitesse from losing 2-1. Atsu made his debut on October 19 against SC Heerenveen, and Vitesse won 3-2 as a result. He scored his first goal for Vitesse on November 9 against FC Utrecht, converting a penalty; Vitesse won the game 3-1.
Christian Atsu participated in 30 games for the Dutch team, which placed sixth in the league and advanced to the playoffs, scoring 5 goals in total.
EVERTON (LOAN)
Christian Atsu joined Everton, a Premier League team, on loan on August 13, 2014, and will remain there till the end of the current campaign. [13] Ten days later, in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Goodison Park, he made his club debut, replacing Kevin Mirallas in the 85th minute.
On September 21, 2014, Christian Atsu made his league debut against Crystal Palace, which resulted in a 2-3 loss at home. He was back in the lineup on February 19, 2015, in a Europa League game against BSC Young Boys after missing the previous encounter due to the Africa Cup of Nations, playing the final five minutes after taking Romelu Lukaku’s place. and, three days later, came off the bench to help Leicester City earn a 2-2 draw at home.
With five minutes left in the game against Newcastle United on March 15, 2015, he came off the bench and assisted Ross Barkley, another substitute, for the third goal of Everton’s 3-0 home victory. Christian Atsu was chosen to start the second leg of an away Europa League Round of 16 match against Dynamo Kyiv on March 19 with regular right-winger Aaron Lennon cup-tied, with Everton leading 2-1 from the first leg. This decision was made as a result of Atsu’s impact as a substitute in the aforementioned games. He was taken off the field in the 65th minute of his team’s 5-2 loss, and that was his final first-team appearance for Everton.
BOURNEMOUTH (LOAN)
Christian Atsu was loaned to newly promoted Premier League team Bournemouth on May 29, 2015, and club chief executive Neill Blake referred to the arrangement as “a fantastic coup.” On August 25, he made his League Cup debut, starting in a 4-0 victory over Hartlepool United in the second round. Atsu only made one further appearance, which was in the subsequent round’s triumph at Preston North End; he was not included in any Bournemouth matchday squad in the league, and on January 1, 2016, Chelsea called him back from his loan.
MALAGA (LOAN)
In an interview with the BBC World Service on January 24, 2016, Christian Atsu discussed leaving Chelsea and his impending move to Levante. The following day, it was made official that he would indeed be going on loan to Málaga. Atsu made his starting eleven debuts on February 5, 2016, and he scored in a 3-0 victory over Getafe CF.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
On August 31, 2016, Christian Atsu signed a one-year loan agreement with Newcastle United that included a buyout clause. He made his club debut on September 13 at Loftus Road, replacing Yoan Gouffran in the 61st minute of a 6-0 away win over Queens Park Rangers, when he assisted Aleksandar Mitrovi on the team’s fifth goal. On October 1st, in a 1-0 victory over Rotherham United, Atsu scored his first goal for the team. He then scored against Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic.
Christian Atsu left Chelsea in May 2017 and agreed to a four-year contract for £6.2 million with Newcastle.
When it was over, he was let go.
AL-RAED
Atsu joined Al-Raed on July 17, 2021. [31] He was only able to participate in eight games of the Saudi Professional League due to injury.
HATAYSPOR
Christian Atsu signed a one-year initial deal with a one-year option with Süper Lig team Hatayspor on September 6, 2022. On February 5, 2023, the day before the earthquake that claimed his life, he appeared in three league games and one Turkish Cup match, scoring the game’s lone goal against Kasmpaşa at home in the seventh minute of extra time.
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
On June 1, 2012, Atsu played in his first senior match for Ghana and scored against Lesotho. A possible future star for his national team, he was called a “great prospect” by the BBC and “quick and technically impressive” by ESPN.
He participated in the Ghanaian team for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa the following year. He played in both the opening 2-2 tie with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the subsequent 1-0 victory over Mali as a substitute. In the last group game in Port Elizabeth against Niger, he was back in the starting lineup and assisted on the second goal of a 3-0 victory that advanced his nation to the quarterfinals as the group champion. Atsu played in the rest of Ghana’s games as they finished fourth, scoring in Burkina Faso’s elimination in the penalty shootout.
Atsu was chosen for the 2014 FIFA World Cup team and started every game as Ghana was knocked out in the group stage.
Atsu scored twice as Nigeria defeated Guinea 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He aided the group in reaching the championship game, but they fell to the Ivory Coast in a shootout. He received the Player of the Tournament and Goal of the Tournament awards at the conclusion of the competition for his goal against Guinea.
Atsu was also nominated to the tournament’s Team of the Tournament for Ghana’s fourth-place finish at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon. He received a call-up for the 2019 contest in Egypt.
PERSONAL LIFE
As a devoted Christian, Atsu frequently posted Bible verses on social media. He was “a true Christian in every sense of the word,” according to Louise Taylor, who wrote the obituary for the Guardian. He was involved in charitable work and served as an ambassador for the charity Arms Around the Child, which helps underprivileged children. He also paid thousands of pounds in bail to release Ghanaians who had been imprisoned for stealing food.
His father was a fisherman and farmer on the banks of the Volta River, and he had ten siblings, including his twin sister. Atsu had two boys and a daughter with novelist Marie-Claire Rupio, with whom he was married.
DEATH
Atsu disappeared on February 6, 2023, shortly after the Turkey-Syria earthquake; it was thought that he might be among those who were buried beneath the debris of Hatayspor’s Antakya headquarters as a result of the disaster. Atsu was saved the next day and was recuperating in a hospital, according to club vice president Mustafa zat. Nevertheless, manager Volkan Demirel said on February 8 that Atsu and sporting director Taner Savut were still missing. Atsu’s agency announced on February 14 that although two of his shoes had been discovered, Atsu himself had not yet been located. His agent received word on February 18 that his body had been found in the ruins of the structure he was living in. His passing was confirmed by media outlets at around 6 am GMT.
On February 18, Atsu’s former team, Newcastle United, honored him during their match against Liverpool. A minute of applause was held before the game to welcome everyone. There were Atsu’s widow and their kids present. Several Premier League games that took place over the weekend also paid tribute.
