Atsu Donated His First European Salary to a Church : Christian Atsu donated his first salary at FC Porto to a church in Ghana , his youth team manager has revealed.
The 31-year old was found dead on February 18th under the rubble of his residence that collapsed due to the February 6th earthquake that killed thousands across Turkey and Syria.
Chief Executive Officer of Christian Atsu’s Youth club, Cheetah FC, Hayye Yartey has recounted an interesting anecdote about the former Ghana international.
“He was a Christian. Very devoted to his religion, and his Bible. There is a church just behind us where he always wanted to pull his fellow players.
“I remember when Christian went to Porto and succeeded in the trials, Porto went on to pay him 800 euros a month.
So I received 800 euros [the same amount as his salary] through Western Union from Christian and I was so happy thinking he had sent me money but his call followed up and he said the 800 euros he had sent was equivalent to x amount of Ghana cedis which he ordered me to give to the church,” he told TV3.
800 euros was about 1700 Ghana Cedis in 2011.
Atsu was on the roster of FC Porto between 2011 and 2013. He was sold to Premier League side Chelsea FC for a reported £3.5 million in September 2013 where he penned a five-year contract.
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations best player never made a competitive appearance for the Chelsea first team.
He spent several seasons on loan at various clubs before permanently joining Newcastle United in the 2017/18 season.
He last played for Hatayspor in Turkey where his sad demise occurred.
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