Christian Atsu: Newcastle United commemorate former player who died in 2023 Türkiye earthquakes

By Can Erozden

England's Newcastle United on Tuesday commemorated their former player Christian Atsu, who died following devastating earthquakes in Türkiye on Feb. 6, 2023 at age 31.

"One year ago we sadly lost Christian Atsu in the most tragic of circumstances. An incredible person who is fondly remembered by everyone at Newcastle United. Our thoughts are forever with Christian's family and friends. Oh he is so wonderful," Newcastle United said on X.

The former Ghana international's body was found nearly two weeks after the quakes.

Atsu last played for Türkiye's Hatayspor, and had also represented Everton, Chelsea, and Newcastle United in the English Premier League, as well as Portuguese club Porto. He scored 10 goals in 60 caps for Ghana.

The Feb. 6 earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye killed a total of 53,537 people and injured more than 107,000 others.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa. More than 14 million people were affected in Türkiye, along with many others in northern Syria.