Christian Atsu's agent Murat Uzunmehmet, has confirmed the death of the former Porto, Chelsea, Málaga, and Newcastle player after a long search.
Eleven days after the earthquake ripped Turkey and Syria apart, heartbreaking news from the sports world was reported.
Christian Atsu, a former Chelsea, Málaga, and Newcastle United player, is one of tens of thousands of other victims whose bodies were found among the wreckage left by the earthquake.
Murat Uzunmehmet, his agent in Turkey, revealed the tragic news on Friday morning.
"Christian Atsu was found and had unfortunately passed away," he said in a brief statement on social media.
Christian Atsu: from Portugal to the Premier League and Turkey
The disappearance of Atsu, a member of the Turkish team Hatayspor, stunned the sporting world.
After a long career that had brought him through several of the world's best divisions, the 31-year-old Ghanaian was presently playing in Turkey.
After shining for Porto, he was signed by Chelsea and spent four seasons with the London club, during which he was loaned out to other clubs like as Málaga, with whom he played in the Spanish First Division.
He appeared in 12 games and scored two goals.
After playing for Newcastle and Saudi Arabia, he moved to Turkey to join Hatayspor, where he scored one goal in three games.
In addition to his role with the Ghana national team, Atsu was well-known at the club level.
He appeared in 65 games and scored nine goals. He competed for his country in the 2013 and 2015 African Cups, as well as the 2014 World Cup.
Turkey was on high alert following the disappearance of Atsu. A few days earlier, it was reported that his body had been discovered alive, but this was later refuted by people in charge of his club.
The player's agent's confirmation on Friday is just more tragedy for a country that has already endured one of the worst earthquakes in its history, with over 40,000 people killed throughout Turkey and Syria.