Biography of late Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu

Christian Atsu Twasam is a Ghanaian professional footballer who played for Turkish top-flight side Hatayspor before his passing on Saturday, February 18, 2023.

Atsu had a fairly good career playing for notable clubs in Europe although he could spend most of his career playing on loan.

He was a superb footballer with a unique talent. He was nicknamed 'Ghana Messi' due to his dazzling dribbling skills.

Youth Career

Christian Atsu was born in Ada Foah in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. He attended the Feyenoord Football Academy in Gomoah Fetteh, now the West African Football Academy in Sogakope in the Volta Region of Ghana.

He later joined Cheetah FC for GHC3,000 from Feyenoord in 2009.

Senior career

Patrick Greveraars, a manager scouted him after he arrived at Porto at the age of 17. He was called by first-team manager André Villas-Boas for a Primeira Liga match against Marítimo on May 14, 2011, but he did not leave the bench.

Christian Atsu was sent on loan to fellow league side Rio Ave for the 2011–12 season. On August 28, 2011, he made his debut against Olhanense in a 0–1 home loss. He opened a score at Estádio da Luz against Benfica in the 24th minute, but the hosts eventually won it 5–1 on 16 December 2011.

The Ghanaian landed the first big move in his career in 2013 when he completed a £3.5 million transfer to English Premier League side, Chelsea.

He was sent out on a season-long loan right after the transfer to the Dutch side Vitesse Vitesse. He scored 5 goals in 25 games in the 2013-2014 season.

Atsu signed a five-year contract with Chelsea and spent all five years on loan at other clubs.

After the Vitesse loan deal, he was sent on another season-long loan to Everton, then to Bournemouth, and Malaga before spending the last year of his Chelsea contract at Newcastle United.

Newcastle secured the Ghanaian on a permanent deal in 2017 for £6.2 million from Chelsea. He spent four years at the club before joining Al-Raed as a free agent in 2021.

He played only 8 games for the club before joining Turkish side Hatayspor in September 2022 on an initial one-year contract.

He played three games and scored just one goal. His only goal for the club was a 90th-minute winner from a freekick against Kasimpa a night before the earthquake occurred in Turkey.

International career

Atsu won his first senior cap for Ghana on 1 June 2012 against Lesotho, scoring in the process. He was described by the BBC as an "excellent prospect", whilst ESPN added he was "quick and technically impressive", and a potential future star for his national team.

The following year, he was in the Ghanaian squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. He started the first match, a 2–2 draw against DR Congo, and as a substitute in the following 1–0 win over Mali.

He returned to the starting line-up in the last group match against Niger in Port Elizabeth, scoring the second goal of a 3–0 win which put his country into the quarter-finals as group winners.

Atsu featured in the rest of Ghana's matches as they came forth, scoring in their penalty shootout elimination by Burkina Faso.

Atsu was selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad, starting in all the matches as Ghana was eliminated in the group stage.

At the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Atsu scored twice in a 3–0 win over Guinea in the quarter-finals. He helped the team to the final, where they lost in a penalty shootout against the Ivory Coast.

At the end of the tournament, he was awarded both the Player of the Tournament and the Goal of the Tournament for his strike against Guinea.

Personal life

Atsu was a devout Christian who shared Bible verses on social media. He was married to a German, Marie-Claire Rupio, with two sons and a daughter.

Honours

Primeira Liga: 2012–13

Supertaca Candido de Oliveira: 2012

EFL Championship: 2016–17

Africa Cup of Nations runner-up:2015

Vitesse Player of the Year: 2013–14

Africa Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament: 2015

Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2015, 2017

Africa Cup of Nations Goal of the Tournament: 2015