Amid the primary anniversary of the dual earthquakes that ravaged southeastern Türkiye final 12 months, Christian Atsu’s reminiscence stays vivid within the hearts of many within the sports activities world who honored the Ghanaian footballer misplaced within the aftermath.
Following Christian Atsu’s passing, the Ghana Football Federation determined to retire the No. 7 jersey of the nationwide workforce.
As the anniversary unfolded, Atsu was fondly remembered not solely by his household but in addition by athletes, together with Hatayspor’s head coach, Volkan Demirel, who honored his former participant.
Recollections from Atsu’s mom, brother, and supervisor added depth to the remembrance.
Resume
Caught within the devastating earthquakes measuring 7.7 and seven.6 that shook Türkiye, Christian Atsu’s loss of life was confirmed on Feb. 18.
Formerly enjoying for Hatayspor, the 31-year-old athlete had a notable profession, gracing groups resembling Porto, Chelsea, and Newcastle United. Notably, Atsu scored his solitary aim for Hatayspor of their victorious match towards Kasimpasa, only a day earlier than the earthquake.
On the earthquake anniversary, Hatayspor’s head coach, Volkan Demirel, honored Atsu with a poignant tribute.
Reflecting on Atsu’s first and final aim for the workforce, Demirel expressed, “This goal, scored by Atsu, stands as his final gift to us—a symbol of joy and hope shattered by the earthquake, which claimed Atsu, our coach Taner, and many others we dearly miss. As a year passes since their departure, we fondly remember them with love and mercy, mourning the profound loss felt by Hatay and our 10 provinces.”
Family man
Atsu’s household additionally made statements to the British press.
His sister, Christiana Atsupie Twasam, expressed that the late Atsu beloved serving to folks round him and noticed everybody as his family.
“He would adapt to people no matter what. He saw everyone around him as his child, his relative. He loved sharing, but if he did something for you, he did not want anyone else to know about it,” Twasam mentioned.
His fiancee, Claire Rupio, emphasised Atsu’s humble persona, saying, “He loved supporting people. If there was a homeless man outside, he would give him money. He was special.”
“He had called the kids before the match. We talked after the match to congratulate him on his goal. Everything was normal; he was supposed to call on Monday, but he did not,” she added.
Rupio, who tried to remain optimistic after listening to in regards to the earthquake, mentioned, “I heard about the earthquake on the radio while taking the kids to school. After dropping them off, I saw a lot of missed calls from Christiana and thought, ‘What’s going on?’ I called him back. He told me, ‘The building collapsed.’ I was shocked; this couldn’t be true. I had to pick up the kids from school because I didn’t want them to hear it from anyone else. I told them that there was an earthquake where their father played, and they hadn’t found him yet. They deserved to know everything. They were very upset and cried. I tried to stay positive and told them their father would be okay,” she mentioned.
“I realized when I saw Nana’s name on the phone around 3 a.m. on Saturday night. I answered the phone; Nana was crying. He said, ‘I’m so sorry’ and couldn’t say anything else,” mentioned Rupio.
“I had to find a way to tell my kids that their father had died. It was terrible, I had so much going through my mind. I told the kids, ‘They found your dad, but they couldn’t save him.’ This is something I wish no parent had to do. It was heart-wrenching; Christian was everything to them. Losing someone is hard for everyone, but we couldn’t even say goodbye to him,” she added.
“When people ask, ‘How are you coping?’ I say, ‘I’m not coping. I’m just surviving every day.’ Sometimes I message Christian on WhatsApp, just to pour my heart out. My daughter Abigail drew a picture on the 24th of the month and said to me, ‘Don’t forget to send this to dad.’ At first, I said ‘Okay,’ but then I had to explain to her that Christian was watching her from above, and she was very upset,” she mentioned.
Rupio introduced plans to ascertain the Christian Atsu Memorial Foundation, acknowledging the complexity of grief, stating, “I navigate through denial and acceptance, fluctuating without progress; losing Christian hit me harder than anything.”
Atsu’s sister, Twasam, expressed her desperation, wishing she might fly to the scene, the place the fact of the devastation sunk in as they looked for survivors, solely to verify the lack of family members.
Manager Nana Sechere recounted the heartbreaking second they recognized Atsu’s physique amongst many, describing the anguish of recognition earlier than collapsing in despair.
Source: www.dailysabah.com