Christian Atsu's Divorce with Marie-Claire Rupio Before His Death

A new report alleges that deceased Black Stars player Christian Atsu was in the process of divorcing his wife, Marie-Claire Rupio, before his untimely death.

According to sources, Atsu and his German wife had issues related to his mother-in-law, as Marie-Claire brought her mother to live with the couple which led to friction between them.

Atsu, feeling alone in the home due to his wife’s increased focus on her mother, filed for divorce, and the couple had been in legal battles for the last two years.

Though they were technically separated, Rupio reportedly did not want to have anything to do with Atsu, as revealed by a source to Ghanasoccernet.com.

The addition of Atsu’s mother-in-law to their household proved to be the catalyst for the marital issues, with Atsu feeling left out and sometimes finding it challenging to play with his children because his mother-in-law had taken control of everything in the home.

Rupio objected to the idea of her mother leaving, believing Atsu didn’t want her mother to live with them, further exacerbating their marital issues.

At the time of these issues, Atsu was fervently looking for a new club as he only had two months left on his contract with Newcastle.

However, according to the report, Atsu had plans to retire but decided to continue playing due to unfinished projects and other needs, leading him first to Saudi Arabia and then fatefully to Turkey.

Before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Atsu had a long-standing disagreement with Rupio. She used his absence to push for a divorce, and he decided to return to Ghana due to injuries and a dip in form in Saudi Arabia.

Before considering hanging up his boots, Atsu had plans to play for his boyhood team, Hearts of Oak, even if only for a season. However, he decided to change his career plans and needed money to fund a ton of unfinished projects in Ghana.

Atsu then made the decision to put off his plans to don the Rainbow jersey in order to sign a lucrative new deal with another European team.

Hatayaspor was his only choice, so he decided to relocate to Turkey. It’s important to note that before moving to Saudi Arabia, Atsu turned down a rich offer from an unknown Turkish club because he wanted to spend his final years with Hearts of Oak.

If the divorce proceedings hadn’t begun, Atsu would have returned to Ghana and be playing in the Ghana Premier League. Unfortunately, Atsu passed away in February 2023, leaving behind a legacy both on and off the pitch.