Christian Atsu’s body was returned to Ghana after he died in an earthquake that struck Turkey two weeks ago.
The plane landed late Sunday in Accra, and his coffin was carried away by members of Ghana’s armed forces.
On Saturday, Atsu was discovered dead beneath his home in southern Turkey. He was a member of the Hatayspor club.
The winger appeared 65 times for Ghana and helped his country reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final.
The 31-year-old also played for Everton and Newcastle in the Premier League.
Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia said at Kotoka airport in the capital Accra: “We prayed and prayed every day as we hoped against hope. But when he was discovered, he was gone.”
Mr. Bawumia went on to say that the late footballer was well-liked and would be sorely missed. “It’s a difficult loss, a very difficult loss.”
He promised Atsu would be buried in a “befitting” manner.
Atsu had gone missing after his apartment in Antakya, Hatay province, was destroyed by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6.
The Hatayspor club initially stated that the player had been rescued with injuries, but this was later changed – and his agent confirmed his death on Twitter on Saturday.
Over 44,000 people have been confirmed killed in south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria.
Ghana’s foreign ministry said the footballer’s remains were accompanied from Turkey by his family and Ghana’s ambassador to Turkey, Francisca Ashietey-Odunton.
The plane touched down in Accra at 19:25 GMT, where it was greeted by relatives, government officials, and Ghana Football Association representatives.
The coffin was to be transported to a military hospital morgue later.
Tributes to the late player have poured in.
On Saturday, his wife Marie-Claire Rupio and their three children joined fans in Newcastle for a minute of silence before the team’s Premier League match against Liverpool. From 2016 to 2021, Atsu played for Newcastle.
Away fans chanted “you’ll never walk alone,” before breaking into applause when Atsu’s face was shown on the big screen.
After scoring for Dutch club Ajax on Sunday, Ghana captain Mohammed Kudus removed his jersey to reveal a white shirt with the words “RIP Atsu” written on it.
Meanwhile, the charity Arms Around The Child applauded Atsu, who has been an ambassador for the organization since 2016, and stated that he was the “main benefactor” of a Ghanaian school that supports abandoned children, orphans, the chronically ill, and those rescued from trafficking.
Atsu, they said, was “a young boy from poverty in Ghana who followed his dreams and used his talent and platform to help others”.
