Kudus scores for Ajax and pays tribute to his late compatriot Atsu
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 19.02.23. | 23:47
Black Stars midfielder nails his first-ever free-kick goal and celebrates by showing a shirt with "Rest in peace Atsu" written on it
Mohammed Kudus paid tribute to the late Christian Atsu during Ajax's 4-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday.
Kudus scored his first-ever free-kick goal and celebrated by lifting his shirt to reveal a shirt with the inscription "RIP Atsu" in honour of the Ghanaian player who tragically passed away recently.
Kudus scores, lifts his shirt to display ‘RIP Atsu’ and instead of giving him a yellow, the referee checks up on him to see if he’s ok. Would never happen in England. pic.twitter.com/OTC60xgYoi
— CFChris. (@EmenaIo) February 19, 2023
Atsu had been trapped under rubble for nearly 12 days following the devastating earthquake in Turkey before being confirmed dead on Saturday.
After the game, Kudus told ESPN:
"This one was for Christian Atsu. Everyone knows what happened in Turkey. I chose this because he is dear to me. But 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 scored I would have shown the shirt after the game."
The referee spoke to Kudus after he took off his shirt but did not book the midfielder. 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."
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