Serge Aurier took to Instagram after Tottenham’s 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace on Sunday to post an emotional tribute to his brother, Christopher Aurier, who was murdered in Toulouse earlier this month.
Christopher, a year younger than Serge, was also a footballer and played for Rodeo Toulouse in the French fifth division last season.
It was reported that he was a victim of a “love dispute” (La Depeche via The Sun), as the Spurs star’s brother was fatally shot outside a nightclub, with the suspect turning himself in less than 48 hours after the incident occurred (Sud Ouest).
Although Jose Mourinho had confirmed that the club had given the right-back compassionate leave (Football.London), the Ivory Coast international played all of Tottenham’s remaining matches since the incident.
After putting in another tidy defensive display at Selhurst Park on Sunday, where he marshalled Wilfried Zaha impressively, the 27-year-old took to social media to reveal that he had been wearing a shirt emblazoned with his brother’s face and a tribute message underneath his Spurs kit.
The defender posted a quote from the Koran and also sent a message to his younger sibling.
He wrote (as translated by Goal.com): “May Allah accept our prayers and accept you in His kingdom of paradise. I love you, my little bro.
“I will miss you like mad. We’ll take care of everything here, watch over us up there and rest in peace.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Different people respond differently to personal tragedies and Aurier clearly felt that playing games would help him deal with the loss. The right-back deserves a tremendous amount of respect for the strength of character he has shown, during what must be one of the most difficult times of his life.