After the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and parts of northern Syria on February 6, it was revealed that Atsu had passed away tragically at the age of 31.
The former Newcastle winger played 64 times for Ghana and played with Partey for the national team on multiple occasions.
The Arsenal midfielder paid tribute to his former teammate today at the Emirates, where Mikel Arteta's team rallied from a two-goal deficit to take a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Partey took off his shirt at work to show a base layer with the message "Rest well Christian Atsu" on it.
Atsu, who scored ten goals for his national team, was contracted to Turkish side Hatayspor. The day before the earthquake, he had scored for the team in their 1-0 victory over Kasimpasa.
His agent Murat Uzunmehmet later saddenedly confirmed that he had passed away after being reported missing for several days.
The winger played most of his career in England, making 80 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, Newcastle, Bournemouth, and Everton, as well as in Portugal and Spain.
Since the death of Atsu was announced on February 18, Partey has not played for Arsenal.
However, he came back today to score the Gunners' first goal of the game, tying the score at 2-1.
The Gunners maintained their lead over title-chasing Manchester City at the top of the table with a goal from Reiss Nelson seven minutes into injury time, but Partey was largely responsible for their victory.
No comments:
Post a Comment