Christian Atsu was a Ghanaian International Footballer. He played for the Ghana National Team, the Black Stars, and played his last club football for Hatayaspor in Turkey before his untimely death in February 2023. He primarily played as a winger, although he was also deployed as an attacking midfielder or left-back. He played for big clubs like FC Porto, Everton, and Chelsea.
Short Profile of Christian Atsu
Full name: Christian Atsu Twasam
Date of Birth: January 10, 1992
Date of Death: c. February 6, 2023
Age: 32 years old.
Height: 5ft 5ins
Position: Winger
Nationality: Ghanaian
Hometown: Dogobome, Ada Foah, Accra.
Tribe: Ga-Adangbe
Instagram: @chris_atsu
Facebook: Christian Atsu
Twitter(X): @ChristianAtsu20
Early Life and Family Background
Christian Atsu was born a twin on January 10, 1992, in Ada Foah, in the Eastern part of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. He has a Twin sister named Atsupe Twasam. He is 32 years old and a Ga-Adangbe from Ada Foah. He spent a few childhood days in Ada Foah and came to live in Madina and then East Legon, both suburbs of Accra. Atsu has nine siblings, five brothers and four sisters. He is the son of Mr. Immanuel Twasam, a native of Ada Foah, and Madam Afiko, a native of the Volta Region. However, both parents of Christian Atsu are late.
Educational Background
He started his education at Nkwantanang D/A Primary School around the Madina Market. Atsu wasn’t able to complete JHS because of his love for football and lack of financial aid. However, when he joined Fayernoord Academy in Gomoa Fetteh, which is now WAFA Sporting Club in Sogakope, he received a little education.
Wife & Children
Christian Atsu is married to Marie-Claire Rupio, a German lady he met in Portugal when he played for Rio Ave. They have been married since 2012 and have three children, two boys and a girl.
Life Story & Career
Christian Atsu lost his father, Mr. Immanuel Twasam, who was a fisherman in Ada Foah, at a young age, and after his demise, things became difficult for him and his younger siblings. At the time, the soccer star had one of his elder brothers and one of his sisters living in Madina, so, at age seven, he and his mum and twin sister Atsupe came to live with his two elder siblings in Madina, and that’s when he started schooling. But still, things were tough for them, and he was sacked for fees most of the time, even though his mum plied different trades to make sure they were comfortable.
During Atsu’s time in school, he loved playing football and used to play with his classmates and friends at home. He had another elder brother who was living in Achimota, Accra, and was a footballer. He played for Peace FC, a football club in Achimota, and because Atsu also knew how to play football, he decided to go and join the Under 12 side of the football club his brother was playing in Achimota. Atsu used to jog from Madina to Achimota for training, but sometimes he picked a car. After some time at Peace FC, a justifier tournament was organized by Feyenoord Academy in Gomoa Fetteh, now WAFA SC, and he went to play.
Christian performed well at the justifiers and was asked to join Feyenoord Academy. So, he joined the Academy, and while he was there, an opportunity came for him to join the junior side of sporting Lisbon, but he wasn’t allowed to go because he was young. Later, Cheetah FC in Kasoa bought his card, and after some time playing for his club in Ghana, he got another chance to join FC Porto, who needed a Winger before the close of the transfer window in 2010. Atsu left Ghana and went to Portugal in January 2010 for his trials, and after the first trials, the coaches put him on another trial for six months. After playing two games, in which he gave an assist in the first and scored a hat-trick in the second, he signed with the junior side of FC Porto on a one-year deal and was paid 500 euros weekly. From the junior side, Atsu joined the senior side of FC Porto.
Read also: Mubarak Wakaso biography and net worth
Club Career
• FC Porto
Atsu arrived in Portugal at age 17, and after a year deal at the junior side of Porto, he was promoted to the senior side of the Club in 2011. After six months at FC Porto, he was sent on a loan to Rio Ave for the 2011/2012 Season. He made his debut for Rio Ave on August 28, 2011, in their 1-0 home loss against S.C. Olhanense. On December 2011, he opened the score at Estàdio da Luz against Benefica but lost 5-1. Atsu returned to Porto for the 2012/13 Campaign, starting in nine (9) games of his League appearances as they won the National Championship for the third consecutive time.
According to the Ghanaian Midfielder, after the 2012/13 Season, Liverpool was interested in signing him, but that couldn’t happen because, at the time, he had a few issues at FC Porto, and the deal couldn’t work out. It was his deal with Chelsea that worked out. He revealed this in an interview with the Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation, Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng.
• Chelsea F.C
Christian Atsu joined Chelsea on September 1, 2013. He signed a five-year deal with the club for a reported fee of 3.5 million euros. After the contract, he was immediately loaned to SBV Vitesse Arnhem, a Dutch professional football club, for the 2013/14 season.
• Vitesse Arnhem (loan)
Christian made his first match appearance for Vitesse against Feyernood F.C. on October 6, 2013. He came in as a substitute, but they were defeated 2-1. On October 19, Atsu was among the starting XI against SC Heerenveen, and they won the game by 3-2. On November 9, he converted a penalty for his first goal with Vitesse against FC Utrecht. The game ended in a 3-1 victory for Vitesse. Twasam played in 30 goals and netted five (5) goals for Vitesse. The Dutch side finished 6th in the League and qualified for the playoffs.
• Everton (Loan)
From a loan at Vitesse, Atsu was loaned again, but this time around to Everton. He joined the Club on August 13, 2014, until the end of the 2014/15 Season. He made his debut for Everton in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal. On September 21, 2014, Twasam made his first start in the League game against Crystal Palace, which ended in a 2-3 home loss. After Atsu’s absence due to the AFCON tournament, he returned to Everton’s lineup on February 19, 2015, in a Europa League game against BSC Young Boys, playing out the last five minutes after replacing Romelu Lukaku. Three days later, he came off the bench to set up a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw at home to Leicester City.
On March 15, 2015, in Everton’s match against Newcastle, Christian came off the bench and provided an assist to Ross Barkley for Everton’s third goal of a 3-0 home win. Following Christian Atsu Twasam’s impact as a substitute in the above games, he was picked to start the second leg of a Europa League Round of 16 away match to Dynamo Kyiv on March 19 with regular right-winger Aaron Lennon cup-tied, with Everton leading 2–1 from the first leg. His team was eliminated after losing 5–2 on the night, he was withdrawn in the 65th minute, and that was his final first-team appearance for Everton.
• Bournemouth (loan)
On May 29, 2015, Christian joined Bournemouth on loan. He made his first appearance for the club on August 25, in the second round of the League Cup, starting in a 4-0 victory at Hartlepool United. However, his only other appearance was in the next round’s victory at Preston North End; Atsu did not feature in any Bournemouth matchday squad in the league, and he was recalled from his loan by Chelsea on 1 January 2016.
• Málaga CF (loan)
In an interview with BBC World Service on January 24, 2016, Christian Atsu spoke about leaving Chelsea and his imminent transfer to Levante. But the next day, it was confirmed that he would be instead moving to Málaga on Loan. Atsu joined Málaga on Loan and made his debut for the club on February 5, 2016, starting for Málaga against Getafe CF, which ended in a 3-0 victory.
• Newcastle United F.C.
From Málaga, Christian joined Newcastle on a one-year loan deal with an option to buy clause in the contract. He joined the club on August 31, 2016, and made his debut on September 13 against Queens Park Rangers. They won the game 6-0, and he provided an assist. Atsu scored his debut goal in a 1-0 win against Rotherham United F.C. on October 1, 2016. He scored a goal in their game against Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic. In May 2017, Atsu signed a four-year deal to join Newcastle for £6.2 million from Chelsea. On June 1, 2021, he announced that he had left Newcastle and would be joining a new club.
• Al-Raed
On July 17, 2021, Christian joined the Al-Raed Club in Saudi Arabia on a two-year deal. He made his debut for Al-Raed S.FC in a preseason friendly game against UD Ibiza on July 21, 2021, in which they lost 2-0. Christian made his second appearance on September 12 for Al-Raed in their fourth match against Ettifaq in the first round of the 2021/2022 Saudi Pro League Season, which ended in a 2-2 draw. He made his third appearance in the second-round match against Ettifaq on February 5, 2022, at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, which ended in a 1-1 draw. He also played in their game against Al-Faisaly on February 18, which ended 0-0. On February 26, Atsu participated in Al Raed’s game against Damac FC, which ended in a 3-2 defeat. On March 5, he played in the match against Al Fayha FC, which ended in a 1-0 win, and on March 13, he participated in the game against Al Hilal FC, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. Christian played in their last match against Al-Batin on March 19 in the second round of the 2021/2022 Season. This game ended in a 2-0 defeat, and he left Al Raed before the start of the 2022/23 Saudi Pro League.
Last club
• Hatayspor
Christian Atsu played his last club football for Hatayspor, a Turkish Professional football Club. He joined the club on September 6, 2022, from his former club Al-Raed on a one-year deal with an option to extend the contract for another year. Atsu made his debut for the club, coming in as a substitute in their match against Fatih Karagümrük, which ended in a 3-0 defeat on October 15 in the Spor Toto Süper Lig 2022/23 Season. On October 19, he played in the Turkish club’s third-round match against Düzcespor, which ended in a 2-0 defeat. In all, Twasam played three league games and one in the Turkish Cup and scored the only goal at home against Kasımpaşa in the seventh minute of added time on 5 February 2023, the day before the earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, killed him.
International Career
Competitions
• 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifications (2012)
Christian Atsu got a call-up to the Ghana National Team in 2012. He made his debut for the Ghana team against Lesotho and contributed a goal in their 7-0 win at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on June 1, 2012. He scored in the 85′.
• 2013 African Cup of Nations (2013)
Atsu was named among the Ghana team for the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa. He made his second appearance for Ghana in their first game against DR Congo on January 20, 2013, which ended in a 2-2 draw. He was a substitute in the second game against Mali on January 24, 2013, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Ghana. Atsu also played in the last group game against Niger on January 28 and netted the second goal for Ghana in the 23′. Ghana won by 3-0. He played in the rest of the matches thus against Cape Verde in the Quarterfinals on February 2, the semi-final match against Burkina Faso on February 6, and the third-place game against Mali on February 9. Ghana placed fourth in the competition.
• 2014 FIFA World Cup (2014)
Twasam participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil. He played against the USA, thus Ghana’s first group game which ended in a 2-1 defeat, the second game against Germany, which ended in a 2-2 draw, and the last group game against Portugal, which ended in a 2-1 defeat. Ghana couldn’t proceed from the group stage.
• 2015 African Cup of Nations (2015)
At the 2015 African Cup of Nations that was held in Equatorial Guinea, Christian played for Ghana in the first game against Senegal on January 19, 2015. He played the second game against Algeria on January 21, which ended in a 1-0 win, the third game against South Africa on January 27, which ended in a 2-1 victory, and the Quarterfinal match, which he produced two goals in Ghana’s 3-0 over Guinea. He scored in the 4′ and 61.’ He also participated in the Semifinal game against Equatorial Guinea and the final tournament against Ivory Coast. Ghana placed second in the competition after a penalty shootout. Atsu was awarded the Player of the Tournament and the Goal of the Tournament for his magnificent strike against Guinea.
• 2017 African Cup of Nations Qualification (2015-2016)
Christian Atsu participated in five of the Group H matches against Rwanda, Mozambique, and Mauritius and scored two goals in the competition. He scored in the first-round game against Mauritius at the Accra Sports Stadium in the 11′ and the second-round match against Mauritius in the 78′.
• 2017 African Cup of Nations (2017)
Atsu played for Ghana at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon. He played all matches, 1st group game against Uganda on January 17, 2nd group game against Mali on January 21, 3rd group match against Egypt on January 24, the Quarterfinal game against DR Congo on January 29, the Semifinal game against Cameroon on February 2, and the match for 3rd place against Burkina Faso on February 4. Ghana placed fourth in the competition.
• 2019 African Cup of Nations (2019)
The last tournament Atsu played for Ghana was the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Egypt. He played the first group match against Benin on June 25, which ended in a 2-2 draw, and Ghana’s second game against Cameroon on June 29. The Black Stars exited the competition in the round of 16 after their game against Tunisia on July 8, 2019.
Goals for Ghana
Christian Atsu has scored six (6) goals for Ghana, 1 World Cup Goal, 3 African Cup Goals, and 2 African Cup Qualification Goals.
Honours
Ghana
- African Cup of Nations Runner-Up (2015).
FC Porto
- Primeira Liga (2012/2013 Season).
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (2012).
Newcastle United
- EFL Championship (2016/17 Season).
Individual
- Vitesse Player of the Year (2013/2014).
- African Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament (2015).
- African Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament (2015, 2017).
- African Cup of Nations Goal of the Tournament (2015).
Philanthropy
Christian loved to give back to society, and with his collaboration with the Crime Check Foundation, an NGO in Ghana, on different occasions, he paid for the release of prison inmates in Ghana and provided monetary support to street hawkers and widows. In 2019, he was given a Citation by the Management of the Crime Check Foundation for his continuous humanitarian support. Also, before his passing, he built a school for the less privileged in society at Senya Breku in Ghana.
House and Cars
He owns a mansion at East Legon, Accra, close to where he lived when he was young. He drives a Range Rover, Benz, and other cars.
Net worth
Christian Atsu has an estimated net worth of over $7 million, and his major source of income was his football career.
FAQs about Christian Atsu
• Which team is Christian Atsu playing now?
He played for Hatayspor, a Turkish Professional football Club.
• Where is Christian Atsu now?
He is dead.
• Is Christian Atsu an Ewe?
No, he is a Ga-Adangbe.
• Who is Christian Atsu wife?
She is a German called Marie-Claire Rupio.
• How old is Christian Atsu?
He is 32 years old now.