Ace Christian Atsu Wiki, Biography
Ace Christian Atsu (10 January 1992 – c. 6 February 2023) was a Ghanaian professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, although he was also deployed as an attacking midfielder.
Atsu began his career with Porto, also spending a season on loan at Rio Ave. In 2013, he was signed by Chelsea for £3.5 million, who subsequently loaned him to Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, AFC Bournemouth and Málaga. After spending the 2016–17 season on loan at Newcastle United, he completed a permanent transfer to the club in May 2017. Following the end of his four-year contract he played for Al Raed in Saudi Arabia and Hatayspor in Turkey, where he died in the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake aged 31.
A full international with 65 caps from 2012 to 2019, Atsu represented Ghana at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He helped the team finish as runners-up at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, in which he also won Player of the Tournament and Goal of the Tournament.
Atsu was born in Ada Foah, Greater Accra Region. He spent some of his education at the then Feyenoord Football Academy at Gomoa Fetteh, in the Central Region of Ghana which has now been changed to West African Football Academy at Sogakope, in the Volta Region of Ghana. He later moved to join Cheetah FC, a club based in Kasoa.
Ace Christian Atsu Age
Ace Christian Atsu was 31 years old.
Ace Christian Atsu Family
Atsu was a devout Christian who shared Bible verses on social media. He was married to author Marie-Claire Rupio with whom he had two sons and a daughter.
Ace Christian Atsu Cause of Death
Football ace Christian Atsu has been found dead 12 days after the Turkey earthquake, his manager confirmed today. The 31-year-old ex-Newcastle and Chelsea player had been scheduled to fly out of the country hours before the devastating 7.8-magnitude quake on February 6, The Sun reported. But the Ghana star reportedly chose to stay with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in a Super Lig match the day before.
After 12 days of desperately searching for Atsu, his manager said his body was tragically discovered buried in the rubble on Saturday. “Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble,” Murat Uzunmehmet said. “Currently, more items are still being taken out. His phone was also found.” Rescue workers found Atsu’s body where he was staying at Ronesans Residence – a 12-story block of luxury flats that toppled over in Antakya city in Hatay.
His agent Nana Sechere said: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to all well-wishers that sadly Christian Atsu’s body was recovered this morning. “My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support.”
Hatayspor, who Atsu signed with in September, said his body was being repatriated to Ghana. “We will never forget you, Atsu,” the club said. “Peace be upon you, beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness.” Former Chelsea captain John Terry tweeted a picture of Atsu alongside the message: “RIP my friend.” There were initial reports the midfielder had been rescued a day after the quake, but these turned out to be false.
Earlier footage showed rescuers with searchlights sifting through the wreckage of Atsu’s apartment block on the first night of the natural disaster. His voice was then heard in the rubble, along with that of Hatayspor’s Sporting Director Taner Savut, local reports said. Atsu, who has three kids with their wife Marie-Claire, spent four seasons at Chelsea before a permanent transfer to Newcastle in 2017.
He signed in September for Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor. Several members of his new team had to be rescued from their homes after the earthquake struck at 4 am local time. The massive 7.8 magnitude quake stuck early on February 6.
Two further earthquakes struck in the 24 hours after the initial tremor, leaving a trail of destruction. More than 43,000 people are now believed to have died in Turkey and Syria. And freezing conditions and difficulty getting aid to remote areas is fuelling a further humanitarian disaster.
Ace Christian Atsu Career
Atsu arrived at Porto at the age of 17. On 14 May 2011, he was called up by first-team manager André Villas-Boas for a Primeira Liga match against Marítimo, but he did not leave the bench.
As with teammate Kelvin, Atsu was sent on loan to fellow league side Rio Ave for the 2011–12 season. He made his debut in the competition on 28 August 2011, in a 0–1 home loss against Olhanense. On 16 December 2011, Atsu opened the score at Estádio da Luz against Benfica in the 24th minute, but the hosts eventually won it 5–1.
He returned to Porto for the 2012–13 campaign, starting in nine of his league appearances as they won the national championship for the third consecutive time.
On 1 September 2013, Atsu agreed to join Chelsea on a five-year contract, for a reported £3.5 million, being immediately loaned to Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem, for the rest of the 2013–14 season.
Atsu won his first senior cap for the Ghana national team on 1 June 2012 against Lesotho, scoring in the process. He was described by the BBC as an “excellent prospect”, whilst ESPN added he was “quick and technically impressive”, and a potential future star for his national team.
The following year, he was in the Ghanaian squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. He started the first match, a 2–2 draw against the DR Congo, and was a substitute in the following 1–0 win over Mali. He returned to the starting line-up in the last group match against Niger in Port Elizabeth, scoring the second goal of a 3–0 win which put his country into the quarter-finals as group winners. Atsu featured in the rest of Ghana’s matches as they came fourth, scoring in their penalty shootout elimination by Burkina Faso.
Atsu was selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad, starting in all the matches as Ghana were eliminated in the group stage.
At the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Atsu scored twice in a 3–0 win over Guinea in the quarter-finals. He helped the team to the final, where they lost in a penalty shootout against the Ivory Coast. At the end of the tournament, he was awarded with both the Player of the Tournament award, as well as the Goal of the Tournament award for his strike against Guinea.
Atsu was also named in the Team of the Tournament for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, where Ghana came fourth. He was called up for the 2019 edition in Egypt.
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