When former President John Dramani Mahama arrived at the burial site of late Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu, there were raucous cheers for him.

Sharaf Mahama, a football player, and his father John Mahama were warmly welcomed by the crowd when they arrived.

Prior to taking his seat, John Mahama made introductions to the dignitaries in attendance as well as the family of Christian Atsu.

To pay their final respects to Atsu, Mahama and his son Sharaf also made their way past the coffin.

When the body of Christian Atsu was first discovered on February 16, 2023, John Mahama paid glowing tributes to him.

“We all held our breaths, and we prayed as we heard the miracles of people pulled out of the rubble. We prayed that ours would be one of those miracles, too. Alas, it was not to be. But in all, we give thanks to the almighty God for giving Atsu to us even for the short 31 years of his life.

“At this time, Lordina and I extend our deepest condolences to his family and the football fraternity in Ghana,” he shared on Facebook.

Christian Atsu passed in February after his lifeless body was recovered from the rubble of his collapsed apartment in Hatay following an earthquake that struck Turkey on February 6, 2023.

The former Ghanaian International in his 7 years international career played at the World Cup and help Ghana finish second in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, in which he won the best player of the tournament.

He scored 10 goals in 65 appearances.