Christian Atsu’s agent confirms sad news of his passing
Christian Atsu was last seen scoring a superb freekick to give his Turkish team, Hatayspor, a late winner, and then news later broke that he was missing following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
After 12 days of the football world coming together on social media to offer prayers while waiting and hoping for good news that he’ll be found alive, Atsu’s agent has finally confirmed that he has been found dead.
Atsu’s former Newcastle teammate, Allan Saint-Maximin, has paid a moving emotional tribute to the former Ghanian national team player, ahead of Newcastle’s game against Liverpool.
Saint-Maximin spoke to Sky Sports and said: “It’s a very sad day for Newcastle and for all the players as well.
“Most of the players know him well and he was a great guy. I had many conversations with him and a very nice time with him.
“To see that [news], it is very painful. It is difficult to talk about for me. But I will never forget that guy and I will fight for him.
“It’s hard to explain [what kind of person he was]. I’m not going to lie… I will tell you the truth, I have not seen a guy like him before.
“He would always give me advice. He was always very nice, very kind, always joking and smiling, even when he did not play.
“He was a great person. It’s sad for me. It’s a difficult day for me.”
Newcastle’s manager Eddie Howe also had kind words to say: “It’s a real tragedy for Christian and his family.
“I woke up to the news as everyone else did and I was truly devastated for him and everyone who knew him.
“There is a lot of players in our dressing room who worked with him for a couple of years.
“I made reference to that [in my team talk] before the game when I spoke to the players. I felt it was something we needed to do.
“We’ll pay tribute to him today as a football club with a minute’s silence. Our thoughts are with him.”
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