Former Black Stars coach, Kwasi Appiah has described the late Christian Atsu as a player who will be difficult to replace.
The 31-year-old winger was confirmed dead on Saturday after he was trapped in a rubble for 12 days following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria.
The earthquake has claimed over 46,000 lives.
To Kwasi Appiah, Atsu, who is a former Chelsea and Newcastle United winger is a lovely person both on and off the pitch after describing him as ‘Ghana’s Messi’.
“In 2012 when he was very fit... people were calling him Messi because of how good he was playing, but then when you get several injuries, it is difficult to play at your best level," he told Asaase Radio.
“He’s one kind of a player that when he’s off the pitch, he’s lovely because when new players are coming into the team, he tries to get close to them,” he said.
Adding that, “It is not easy to find people like Atsu because even though I do give out, I must say that what Atsu has done and was doing is extraordinary. I took him to the AFCON 2013 and we got to the semifinals. He’s so talented as an individual because he tries to get goals or assists."
The mortal remains of Atsu arrived in the country on Sunday and the burial date expected to be announced soon.