26. A time to mourn: thousands of people lost their lives in the Turkey-Syria earthquake on 6th February 2023. Which Ghanaian footballer, who played for FC Porto, Chelsea and Newcastle United, was among the dead?
From Quiz A Time to Dance, A Time to Mourn
Answer:
Christian Atsu
Christian Atsu got his big break in football when he joined FC Porto as a teenager in 2011 under André Villas-Boas; however, he was loaned out to Rio Ave in the 2011-2012 season. He moved to Chelsea, then managed by Jose Mourinho, a compatriot of Villas-Boas, and was loaned out to multiple teams. These included Everton - where he featured in their ultimately unsuccessful Europa League campaign - Bournemouth, Malaga and Newcastle United. He joined the latter permanently in 2017 under Rafa Benítez and scored his first goal against Rotherham United. When his Newcastle contract ended, he had a stint at Saudi club Al-Raed before moving to his final club, Hatayspor.
Atsu scored his first and last goal for Hatayspor against Kasýmpaþa in added time on 5th February 2023, and was in Rönesans Residenz, an apartment where several Hatayspor players and staff lived, when the earthquake struck. He had been due to fly out of Turkey, but had decided to stay with the club. Atsu was declared missing for two weeks; reports initially stated that he was safe, but these turned out to be false. On 18th February 2023, Atsu's death was confirmed when his body was found in the wreckage of the building. Newcastle paid tribute to him at their match against Liverpool, with his wife and children in attendance. Atsu's body was later flown back to Ghana for his funeral.