Ghanaian footballer, Christian Atsu has died, Citi Sports can regrettably report.
His demise was confirmed by his agent, Nana Sechere.
Inaccurate reports had earlier indicated that Atsu had been pulled from the rubble, injured but still alive, and taken to a hospital for treatment.
Hours after the reports, which were echoed by Hatayspor Vice President, Mustafa Ozat and the Ghana Football Association but were later confirmed to be untrue.
The search for the player resumed in earnest, with reports emerging days later that his shoe had been found in the debris.
In his final game, the night before the quakes struck, Atsu scored a wonderful last minute winner from a free-kick for Hatayspor.
Before making the move to Turkey, Atsu had been at Porto, Rio Ave, Chelsea, Vitesse, Bournemouth, Everton, Newcastle, Malaga, Al-Raed and Manaus.
He also featured 65 times for Ghana’s Black Stars, scoring nine goals.
He is survived by his partner Marie Claire Rubio and three kids; two sons and a daughter.
