By Victor Kanayo
It was an outpour of grief, as former Ghanian player, Christian Atsu was laid to rest in his home country.
Many mourners led by President Nana Akufo-Addo, filed out on Friday, during a state funeral and paid their last respect, when the remains of Atsu, who was killed in February when ill-feted earthquake struck in Turkey.
Atsu’s body was recovered a fortnight after the quake from the rubble of his apartment building.
The funeral happened outside the State House.
BBC reports that representatives of Ghana’s National team and Atsu’s Turkish club, Hatayspor were also at the ceremony for a man seen by many as a national hero, and was buried later in his home village in south-eastern Ghana.
Atsu’s Career
Atsu, 31, spent most of his career playing in the English Premier League for clubs including Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton.
He also had a short stint in Saudi Arabia, before moving to Turkey few months before his demise.
He also made 65 appearances for Ghana, and helped the national side reach the finals of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea – where he was awarded goal and player of the tournament.
Tributes
Speaking to BBC, many Ghanaians said Atsu will be remembered due to how he stood by them at all times.
They said his love for humanity, and support for the underprivileged in the country was immense.
The mourners earlier said their farewells while filing past Atsu’s body on Tuesday during an event organised to bid him bye.
About 50, 000 persons were said to have died during the devastating earthquake, which rocked Turkey and the Syrian border.
