Former Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has paid tribute to the late Ghana and Hatayspor star Christian Atsu.
The 31-year was confirmed dead in the early hours of Saturday morning after his body was pulled out of the rubble following Turkey's devastating earthquake which has claimed many lives.
“I will say Christian Astu really served the nation (especially Black Stars) and got all that we needed from him. It's unfortunate to loose him at this age, this is when life really begins but losing him now is sad”
“His best game I remember is when Ghana faced Egypt in Kumasi and won massively, though he did very well against Lesotho I rate his performance in the Egypt game highly. His super performance against Egypt made Ghanaians fall in love with him” he told Akoma FM in Kumasi.
“I never saw him getting angry with anyone, he is always serious at training and shows professionalism. He trains with the same discipline and intensity of actual game situation”
“May his soul rest in peace” he said.
Atsu made his Black Stars debut under Kwesi Appiah in 2012.
Atsu had been trapped under rubble for over 11 days before his passing, with the earthquake claiming the lives of over 45,000 people.
The Ghanaian had recently scored his first goal for Hatayaspor just hours before the natural disaster struck.
During his career, Atsu played 65 matches for Ghana, scoring nine goals. Two of his most famous goals came in the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Egypt and in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, quarter-finals clash against Guinea, where he scored an absolutely breathtaking goal.