Hundreds of people gathered outside State House in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Friday for the funeral of footballer Christian Atsu who died last month in the earthquake in Turkey.

Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, was also present.

Atsu’s widow, Marie-Claire Rupio, was overcome with emotion as she paid tribute to her husband.

The 31-year-old spent most of his career playing in the English Premier League for clubs including Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton.

“The painful loss of our brother, Christian Atsu has undoubtedly created indelible imprints on the minds and hearts of compatriots, team-mates, friends, families and the nation. The government and Ghanaians in general will continue to remember Christian Atsu as one of the committed, dedicated and results-oriented youth and a football star of our time”, said Mustapha Hamid, Ghana’s Minister for Youth and Sports.

Christian Atsu was part of the Ghana squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was player of the tournament at the 2015 African Cup of Nations, scoring two goals to help Ghana to the final, where they lost in a penalty shootout to Ivory Coast.