Aston Villa star Bertrand Traore pays emotional tribute to former Chelsea teammate Christian Atsu
Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as Bertrand Traore speaks about the death of his friend and former Chelsea teammate Christian Atsu in an earthquake in Turkey
Aston Villa forward Bertrand Traore has paid tribute to his former teammate Christian Atsu.
Atsu, who played with Traore at Chelsea and Vitesse Arnhem, died aged 31 when an earthquake struck Turkey and Syria in February.
Traore spoke about Atsu in an emotional post-match interview after scoring the winning goal for Villa at Leicester City on Tuesday.
The pair most recently met in November when Istanbul Basaksehir, with whom Traore spent the first half of this season on loan, played Atsu’s Hatayspor in the Turkish League.
"We talked for like 30 minutes after the game," Traore said. "I was really close with him. It was devastating news for me and really hard times. We tried to speak with his close friend to get some news but at the end he wasn’t alive anymore. It is really hard and difficult for his family and for his friends.
"But I believe in God and the only thing I can do is pray for him. I hope he will rest in peace and God will protect his family and children. I will always have him in my heart."
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