Perhaps the most tragic news that has come out in the day is the fact that the country of Turkey and its neighbouring Syria has been rocked by an earthquake of a magnitudie of 7.7. Several people in Turkey have been killed and trapped under the massive rubble caused by the natural disaster. A former Premier League footballer, who now plies his trade in the Turkish Super Lig is also one of the many names that are trapped in the country after the earthquake.
Cristian Atsu, a winger who player earlier for Premier League giants like Chelsea and Newcastle United has been trapped under the rubbles of his home in Turkey, where he plays for Hatayspor. The earthquake hit the hardest at Kahramanmaras, the place where Cristian Atsu’s club are based. Along with Atsu, the club’s manager Taner Savut are still trapped under the rubble.
According to Turkish outlet Star, other members of the staff too were trapped under the rubble, and two were somehow taken out. But Arsu and Savut remain trapped as search parties continue to look for the two people. Atsu, who had loan spells with Everton and Bournemouth, joined Hatayspor in July 2021 from Saudi Arabia side Al-Raed.
For the Turkish club, Cristian Atsu has played 4 matches and scored 1 goal. Incidentally, the goal came just 4 hours before the earthquake struck in Turkey, in the dying minures of the game against Kasimpasa, where his brilliant free-kick helped his team secure a last-ditch 1-0 win in the league.
Atsu has spent his best time at Newcastle United where he played 121 games scoring 8 goals and registering 10 assists. For Chelsea, Cristian Atsu failed to register a single appearance. For the Ghana national team, Atsu has played 60 games and scored 10 goals.
Newcastle too shared an emotional post praying for some good news regarding their former player.
