I’m really honoured to have shared special moments with Christian Atsu – Kwesi Appiah mourns late teammate

Former Ghana striker, Kwesi Appiah has stressed that he enjoyed playing alongside an exceptional player like Christian Atsu.

According to him, it is an honour he had the chance to share special moments with the late Black Stars player when he was alive.

Speaking to BBC Sports Africa, Kwesi Appiah described Christian Atsu as a great teammate and a player who had a lot of skill and quality.

"He was a joy to be with and a great team-mate, someone who had an abundance of skill and quality.

"He was an exceptional player and I'm really honoured to have shared some special moments with him on the pitch,” Kwesi Appiah who currently plays for Crawley Town said.

Both Kwesi Appiah and Christian Atsu were part of Ghana’s squad that played at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

Opening up on how Christian Atsu earned the name Ghana Messi, Kwesi Appiah said, "He was nicknamed Ghana's Messi for his class and also the way we relied on him as a team.”

Christian Atsu was confirmed dead last Saturday after his deceased body was discovered under the rubble of his apartment building in Turkey, 12 days after the earthquake.

Christian Atsu passed at the age of 31.