General captain of the Black Stars, Asamoah Gyan, has revealed the last message he received from the late Christian Atsu.
Atsu, 31, was confirmed dead on Saturday after he was trapped in a rubble following a 7.8 magnitude that struck Turkey.
The mortal remains of the winger arrived in Ghana on Sunday for his burial.
Gyan, who played with Atsu at the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] in Brazil and Equatorial Guinea, revealed that the former Newcastle United forward last texted him and urged him to intensify his training as he hoped to make Black Stars squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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“The last time I spoke to him [Christian Atsu] was prior to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar,” he revealed during an interview with Asempa FM on the Ultimate Sports Show.
“What he told me was that I should try and intensify my training and let’s hope I will make the squad for the tournament.
“He wanted to see me at the World Cup because I have that relationship with him and he always believes in me but unfortunately, I could not make the squad,” he added.
Ahead of the Mundial in the Gulf country, Gyan in an interview with the BBC confirmed his intention to make a return to the team.
However, Otto Addo, who was then the head coach did not include the 36-year-old in his squad for the global showpiece.
Gyan, meanwhile, remains the country’s all-time leading goal scorer with 51 goals.
Atsu on the other hand played 65 matches for Ghana, scoring nine goals.