Kudus Pays Tribute to Atsu; Osimhen and Choupo-Moting Score Again
Mohammed Kudus scored a wonderful free kick for Ajax Amsterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie on Sunday, but the strike was eclipsed by his moving tribute to Christian Atsu, whose death in the Turkey earthquakes was confirmed on Saturday.
Elsewhere, the relentless Victor Osimhen continued his remarkable goal-scoring run in spectacular fashion in Italy and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting boosted his hopes of securing a new contract with Bayern Munich.
The football world united in tribute to Atsu after his death was confirmed on Saturday morning. His former clubs acknowledged his passing before their fixtures, and Ghana’s Kudus — whose international career began five months after Atsu’s last Black Stars outing — paid personal tribute to his compatriot.
Kudus netted Ajax’s fourth goal in their 4-0 thumping of Sparta Rotterdam, scoring with a magnificent left-footed free kick six minutes from full-time having earlier hit the woodwork with a fine effort.
Kudus, 22, celebrated by revealing a shirt with ‘RIP Atsu’ emblazoned on the front before dropping to his knees and raising his arms to the sky. The act of raising his shirt should have earned Kudus a booking but referee Pol van Boekel opted not to penalise the player given the reason behind his tribute.
[IMAGE – Mohammed Kudus pays tribute to fellow Ghanaian Christian Atsu as he celebrated a goal for Ajax Amsterdam against Sparta Rotterdam at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Feb. 19, 2023. ANP via Getty Images]
“We have football rules but this is beyond football, this is about life and death,” Kudus told ESPN after the match. “The referee told me [shirt removal] is not allowed but he understands because this is a bigger situation than football. Respect from me to the referee for that.”
The young attacker also revealed how Atsu, who played in the Eredivisie for Vitesse Arnhem, had been a role model for him earlier in his career.
“That one was for Christian,” he said. “Everyone knows what happened in Turkey, and I chose [to do] this because he is dear to me. It’s naturally for all those families who are affected.
“I learned a lot from watching him; he also regularly gave me advice. Everything I gave today was for him. If I hadn’t have scored, I would have shown the shirt after the game.”
Poignantly, Kudus’s late free kick mirrored Atsu’s stoppage-time strike for Hatayspor in his final match; he, too, scored with a set piece to secure all three points for his team only hours before the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and Syria.
Atsu’s former teammate Andre Ayew also paid an emotional tribute to the wideman, describing him as a “good and genuine guy, a selfless individual who put smiles on our faces and the many people who encountered him.”
Atsu and Ayew were defeated Africa Cup of Nations finalists when Ghana lost the 2015 decider to Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout in Bata, Equatorial Guinea.
The post Kudus Pays Tribute to Atsu; Osimhen and Choupo-Moting Score Again was originally published on ESPN.
