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Hadn’t written for a while but just felt I had to put words together about Christian Atsu

1 year ago
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It’s been a while since I have submitted anything to The Mag but I felt I had to put some words together about Christian Atsu, when the news broke this morning.

Today, the deeply sad news that former magpie Christian Atsu was a victim of the terrible earthquake in Turkey.

Today’s game at St James’ Park will start with a minute’s silence, and I am sure they’ll be a few renditions of his song, just as there was when his free-kick vs Cardiff brought us such jubilation in the championship.

Newcastle fans will remember his time on the pitch fondly but having read more about the person, I think it’s clear he deserved to be called wonderful for his actions off the pitch as well.

Atsu had a tough upbringing, growing up in Ada Foah, before his footballing ability brought him to the attention of Feyenoord’s African football academy scouts. Six months after Atsu left home to play football, his father Immanuel who had worked as a farmer and fisherman, fell sick and passed away.

This event drove Christian’s charitable ambitions as he maintained “100 per cent, [that his father] would have survived if [he] was already a professional footballer.. because I could have provided for him. I could have got him into a better hospital, and he would have been fine. We used to speak about this whenever I met my family members. For him, this could have been the best moment to have seen me playing… he sacrificed everything for me and by the time, I was good, he left. It is hard but this is the life.”

And so Atsu was determined to help his native Ghana as big contracts came at Porto, Chelsea and Newcastle. During his time on Tyneside, Atsu became an ambassador for children’s charity Arms Around the Child and raised money for schools and community projects back in Ghana.

Christian told Goal in 2018;

“I was very happy because I could send money to my family and my friends. A lot of children in Ghana will not get this chance … that’s why I am also trying to do my best to make sure that they will … and make sure they have the opportunity to work towards their future.

“In my charity life, my dream is to keep doing it for as many years as I can, for it to grow and for many people to know it.

“I know there are a lot of charities in Ghana, but I want this one to be one of the biggest charities in Ghana and for it to inspire other charity work. I would say that I have been through a lot, but my response is to want to love humanity.

“To be there for each other, help each other. Helping my brother, sister, friends and anyone who is suffering. This is what I want to do, to show love for humanity.”

In addition to Arms Around Children, Atsu also worked with Crime Check Foundation, “to assist poor and voiceless prisoners who require legal counsel and is supporting many inmates with petty fines on them to be released from prison.” This included rescuing a poor mother and her two daughters from squalid conditions in an African prison after the pair had stolen some corn worth just £1. Atsu kindly donated three times the £50 penalty to keep them out of prison.

These are just a few examples of Atsu’s charity, which was all done with minimal publicity.

Oh, he is so wonderful.

If anyone would like to donate to this charity in memory of Christian Atsu, I have created a page on their website: https://armsaroundthechild.enthuse.com/pf/nufc

To support all those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria please donate to the disasters emergency committee: https://www.dec.org.uk/

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