Ajax footballer pays tribute to Christian Atsu after scoring, escapes booking; Watch

Ajax footballer Mohammed Kudus became the talk of the town on Monday for his heartwarming gesture for the Turkey earthquake deceased Christian Atsu. The 22-year-old paid a tribute to his teammate Atsu, who was found dead under the Turkey earthquake rubble last week. Kudus removed his shirt after scoring in the 84th minute for Ajax in the Eredivisie game against Sparta Rotterdam, revealing a ‘RIP Aysu’ message written over it.

The footballer notably escaped punishment as the match official Pol van Boekel understood it was an issue bigger than the rules of football. During a conversation with ESPN about his gesture, Kudus said, “This is bigger than the rules of football, it's about life and death. The referee said it was not allowed, but he understood the situation. I am grateful to him for that and I respect him very much.” His goal was the last goal in the match by Ajax, helping them to win by 4-0.

"This one was for Christian"

Christian Atsu went missing after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria on February 6. Two weeks later, his body was found in the rubble of a 12-storey building in Antakya, a southern city in Turkey. The devastating earthquake has reportedly resulted in deaths of over 44,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

“This one was for Christian. Everyone knows what happened in Turkey. I chose this because he is dear to me. It's naturally for all those families that 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,” Kudus further added.

More about former Premier League player Christian Atsu

Atsu represented the Turkish club Hatayspor since September 2022, following a transfer from the Saudi Pro League. The club is based in the southern city of Antakya, near the epicenter of the earthquake, that hit in the early hours of February 6 and devastated the region. The earthquake is being said to be the deadliest disaster in Turkey’s modern history.

Meanwhile, the Ghana footballer previously played for clubs like Chelsea and Newcastle in the Premier League. He notably scored a winning goal for Hatayspor on February 5, hours before the jolting earthquake. As per AP, the Ghanaian soccer association observed moments of silence to be observed at every professional game in the country on Saturday in honor of Atsu.