Christian Atsu, a deceased Ghanaian football player, is still receiving condolences. He was discovered dead beneath the debris of the deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and certain areas of Syria early last month (February), resonating across the globe. This awful tragedy was confirmed.
Many accounts of his generosity and humility have spread all over the place. Yet after his passing, it was discovered that his personal life was somewhat problematic due to the breakdown of his marriage to his longtime lover Marie-Claire Rupio.
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations MVP reportedly spent his final two years of life attempting to annul his 11-year marriage, according to a report by Ghanasoccernet.com.
As they were [officially] no longer together, she had no desire to interact with the former Rio Ave and Vitesse Arnhem player.
There was no public support [on social media] from her “better-half” when she published her book Quit Bullying Me in 2021, which received five out of five stars and received some raving reviews. At that point, spectators started to have doubts.
When Atsu was a teenager, he first played abroad with Portuguese powerhouse Porto, where he met Marie-Claire, a German national.
And in 2012, they were married. Three children were a blessing for the couple.
But surprisingly, when his contract at Newcastle came to an end, the marriage started to fail, and the couple needed to file for divorce.
”When his mother-in-law moved in with them in the UK somewhere in 2021, Atsu’s marital problems began. Atsu felt alone in the home as a result of the wife’s increased focus on the mother. He sometimes found it challenging to play with his children because his mother-in-law has taken control of everything in the home,” a source told GHANAsoccernet.com.
‘Atsu was enraged to the core at this. So, in order for them to continue living their private lives, he instructed the wife to politely request that her mother relocates to Germany.
”His wife objected to the idea because she believed the player didn’t want her mother to live with them, which is how their marital issues began.
”Atsu was fervently looking for a new club at that time because he only had two months left on his contract with Newcastle.”
They were unable to resolve their differences.
The source also added: ”At this point, a well-known Ghanaian football agent managed to get him a club in Turkey, but the player was not interested in working there.
”Atsu then moved to Saudi Arabia and signed for Al Raed after failing to find a club in Europe. Due to a long-standing disagreement [with the wife] before he left for Saudi Arabia, the wife then used his absence to push for a divorce.
”He took the decision to return to Ghana due to injuries and a dip in form in Saudi Arabia. He considered hanging up his boots but before that, he had plans to play for his boyhood team, Hearts of Oak, even if only for a season.
”He decided to change his career plans at that point and also needed money to fund a ton of unfinished projects in Ghana.
”He then made the decision to put off his plans to don the Rainbow jersey in order to sign a lucrative new deal with another European team.
”Hatayaspor was his only choice and so decided to relocate to Turkey. Remember that before moving to Saudi Arabia, he turned down a rich offer from an unknown Turkish club because he wanted to spend his final years with Hearts of Oak.
”If the divorce proceeding hadn’t begun, Atsu would have returned to Ghana and be playing in the Ghana Premier League.”
