Christian Atsu was a truly gentle soul and his talent was not a gift to football but a means of helping others - his team-mates often spoke of his generosity but his charity work never got the coverage that it deserved
- Christian Atsu spent five years at Newcastle including an initial loan transfer
- The Ghanaian would frequently return home as an ambassador for a charity
- The ex-Premier League star's body was finally found after 12 days of searching
Christian Atsu was a truly gentle soul. The tributes in death would have been the same as in life. The confirmation of his passing at the age of 31, killed by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, has not given rise to excessive eulogy. These words would have been written and spoken one month ago, one year ago, five years ago, even.
It was then, during his time at Newcastle United, that I sat down with Atsu at the club’s training ground for an interview, just the two of us. He left me with this overriding impression - that his talent was not a gift to football, or even to himself, but a means of helping others. In fact, our conversation covered so little of his profession.
He was 12 years old when his father, Immanuel, a farmer, died suddenly in their native Ghana. It is tragic to consider that Atsu’s own three children did not reach that age before losing their dad. His oldest boy, Joshua, is just nine.
The loss of his father caused Atsu, the youngest of 11 siblings, to declare: 'I'm either going to be a doctor or a footballer’. It was motivation to make the most of himself, and in turn to take care of his family. He was playing in Feyenoord’s west African academy at the time.
'I was not paid at the academy and because of that, my father died. We did not have the money for the treatment,' he explained. ‘Now, there was no-one to help the family. That inspired me. I was either going to be a doctor, to help the sick, or make it as a footballer, to provide for my family.’
![Christian Atsu tragically passed away in the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/18/10/67825313-11766043-image-m-11_1676716971810.jpg)
Christian Atsu tragically passed away in the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria
![St. James' Park paid tribute to Newcastle's former midfielder on Saturday evening](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/18/22/67835877-0-image-a-78_1676758675605.jpg)
St. James' Park paid tribute to Newcastle's former midfielder on Saturday evening
In the end, he was able to help both. As an ambassador for Arms Around the Child, a British charity which supports orphanage sites, he returned to Ghana every summer, invariably armed with bags of football kit, clothes, boots and shoes. Team-mates at Newcastle speak of his generosity whenever an opportunity arose.
The extent of his charity work never did get the widespread coverage it deserved. But that was never his goal. During another interview with colleagues in the North-East, and when discussing his upbringing in Ada Foah, Atsu broke down in tears, apologised and asked if it was okay to finish there.
He had told me: 'The hard life I passed through, I know how it is. Those children on the streets, they don't have parents, they don't have friends, they have nothing. I try to provide food, books and clothes, but most of all I want to give them hope, I want them to have a better future. It is more important for them to feel loved, to know there is someone there to help, someone who cares.
'They have lost parents, like I did. But many, their parents just left them on the street because they cannot afford to have them or pay school fees. It happened to me, too. It got to the point where my parents could not pay my fees and I had to sacrifice school. I sold rubber bags in the market with my friends. Sometimes I would be away from the house for two weeks without seeing my family, staying with friends, just to forget things.
'I loved playing football but I also had to work hard to feed my family. I could not see them suffering, especially my twin sister and mother.’
His mother, Afiko, had waited at home in Ghana for news of her son for nearly two weeks. On Saturday morning came the confirmation that his body had been found amid the rubble of his apartment block in Antakya, where he played for Turkish top-flight team Hatayspor.
![As an ambassador for a British charity supporting orphanages he would return to Ghana every year laden with football gear to donate](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/18/22/67835879-0-image-a-79_1676758729255.jpg)
As an ambassador for a British charity supporting orphanages he would return to Ghana every year laden with football gear to donate
![Atsu spent five years at Newcastle, the first on loan from Chelsea before his move was made permanent](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/18/22/67835881-0-image-a-80_1676758783513.jpg)
Atsu spent five years at Newcastle, the first on loan from Chelsea before his move was made permanent
His twin sister, Christiana, and one of his brothers were present when his body was recovered. There was the heartbreak of inaccurate reports in the days after the earthquake, on February 6, that he had been pulled alive from the wreckage. When it became apparent he was still trapped, hope began to fade.
Parishioners at Hillsong Church in Newcastle’s West End prayed for the man they had come to know as Christian, their fellow worshipper, rather than the footballer who played just a mile away at St James’ Park. Sadly, their prayers were not answered.
Atsu’s children, who still live in Newcastle, were at St James’ on Saturday evening for the game against Liverpool. Atsu’s wife, Marie-Claire, wanted them to experience the warmth for their father.
From the tribute before kick-off to the song in his name after, they would have felt that love. Rest in peace, Christian.
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