'No words': Grim find in 'finest' footballer search

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The assemblage of Christian Atsu, the Ghana planetary guardant long-feared dormant successful the Turkey earthquake has been recovered.

Search teams recovered the 31-year-old's assemblage successful the ruins of a luxury 12-story gathering wherever helium had been surviving successful the metropolis of Antakya, Hatay province, his manager said Saturday.

“Atsu’s (body) was recovered nether the rubble. At the moment, his belongings are inactive being removed,” manager Murat Uzunmehmet told backstage quality bureau DHA.

Atsu joined Turkish nine Hatayspor successful September and scored the winning extremity for his caller squad successful a league crippled astatine location against Kasimpaşa SK connected February 5, conscionable hours earlier the earthquake struck successful the pre-dawn hours of February 6.

Antakya, the metropolis wherever Hatayspor is based, is successful the confederate portion of Turkey hardest deed by the earthquake.

The decease toll from the 7.8-magnitude quake successful southeastern Turkey and bluish Syria passed 43,000 past week.

Hatayspor said Atsu’s assemblage would beryllium repatriated to Ghana. “There are nary words to picture our sadness,” the nine tweeted.

Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo posted a photograph of Atsu connected his authoritative Twitter relationship and wrote: “Ghana shot has mislaid 1 of its finest unit and ambassadors, 1 who volition beryllium hard to replace. He’ll beryllium sorely missed.”

Former Ghana skipper and teammate Asamoah Gyan tweeted “RIP Brother.”

The contractor of the 12-story Ronesans Rezidans gathering - wherever Atsu and the club’s sporting manager Taner Savut lived - was detained astatine Istanbul Airport a week ago, seemingly trying to permission the country.

Savut is inactive missing.

Atsu's agent, Nana Sechere, traveled to Turkey with members of Atsu's household successful an effort to find him, holding onto hopes that helium mightiness beryllium live amid the wreckage. Sechere had urged authorities and Hatayspor officials to measurement up their efforts successful the hunt for Atsu and Savut.

Atsu played much than 60 times for Ghana and scored connected his debut arsenic a 20-year-old successful 2012. He was portion of the Ghana squad astatine the 2014 World Cup successful Brazil and starred astatine the 2015 African Cup of Nations, scoring 2 goals to assistance Ghana to the final, wherever it mislaid successful a punishment shootout to Ivory Coast.

He was named the subordinate of the tourney astatine that African Cup.

Atsu was signed by Chelsea successful 2013 but his clip determination was constricted to appearances successful accumulation games and helium was sent retired connected indebtedness to assorted clubs implicit the adjacent 4 years. The winger joined Newcastle connected indebtedness successful 2016 and was portion of the squad that won promotion backmost to the Premier League successful the 2016-17 season.

He signed a imperishable woody with Newcastle successful 2017 and spent 4 years there. The nine said Saturday it was “profoundly saddened” by Atsu's death.

“A talented subordinate and a peculiar person, helium volition ever beryllium fondly remembered by our players, unit and supporters,” Newcastle tweeted.

The Ghana Football Association added: “We would similar to explicit our deepest condolences to his woman and children, the family, loved ones and the shot community.”

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