*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:33, 15 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:53, 9 September 2024 (UTC)
Thomas Teye Partey (born 13 June 1993) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and the Ghana national team. Known for his technical ability, passing, and tackling, he is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.[5][6]
Born in Krobo Odumase, Partey was a product of local club Odometah's youth ranks.[4] He signed with Atlético Madrid in 2012, after a short spell with Leganés,[7] and was subsequently moved to the reserves a year later. On 10 March 2013, Partey was called up to the main squad for the match against Real Sociedad.[8] However, he remained unused in the eventual 0–1 home defeat.[9]
Partey made his first team debut for Atlético Madrid on 28 November 2015, replacing Luciano Vietto in a 1–0 home win against Espanyol.[16] On 2 January of the following year, he scored his first league goal for the club, netting the game's only strike in a home success over Levante.[17] On 28 May, he played in the UEFA Champions League Final against Real Madrid, replacing Koke in the 116th minute as his side lost on penalties.[18]
Partey signed a contract extension with Atlético Madrid through 2022 on 14 February 2017.[19] On 31 October, he scored his first European goal with a long-range strike to equalise at home to Qarabağ in a 1–1 draw in the Champions League group game; he became the first African to score in the competition for Atlético.[20] Following his impressive performances for the club, he was rewarded with another contract on 1 March 2018, this time until 2023.[21] On 16 May, he played in the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final, as his side won 3–0 against Marseille.[22]
On 1 September 2019, Partey came on as a late substitute and netted the match's winner in the last minute of the game, as Atlético came back from 2–0 down to win the game by 3–2 against Eibar.[23] He marked his 100th La Liga appearance for Los Rojiblancos with a man-of-the-match performance in a 0–0 draw against Real Madrid in the Madrid derby four weeks later.[24] Despite leaving Atlético at the beginning of the 2020–21 season, Partey made enough appearances at the start of the season to become eligible for a winner's medal as Atlético won La Liga that year.[25][26]
Arsenal
On 5 October 2020, Premier League club Arsenal announced the signing of Partey on a long-term contract, after activating his £45 million (€50 million) release clause with Atlético Madrid. He was given the number 18 shirt, which had been vacated by Nacho Monreal the previous season.[27] Upon signing, Partey stated his desire to help Arsenal "back where [they] belong", describing his decision to move being based on "[wanting] to experience new challenges", while also crediting the transfer to manager Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu.[28]
On 17 October 2020, Partey made his debut for Arsenal as a substitute for Granit Xhaka in a 1–0 away defeat in the league against Manchester City.[29] Five days later, he started his first match for Arsenal in a 2–1 away win over Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League.[30] Midway through a match against Aston Villa on 8 November, he suffered a thigh injury which saw him miss the rest of the month's games.[31] He returned on 6 December in the North London derby, but suffered another injury at half-time as Arsenal lost 2–0 to Tottenham Hotspur.[32] He did not play again until a month later, which he came off the bench in a 0–0 draw against Crystal Palace.[33][34] On 22 October 2021, Partey scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 3–1 win against Aston Villa.[35] In February 2022, Partey was named Arsenal's player of the month.[36] In the 2022–23 season, he scored three goals in 33 appearances, including his club's Goal of the Season in a 3–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.[37] In November 2023, he sustained a hamstring injury which kept him sidelined for most of the 2023–24 season.[38]
On 24 August 2024, Partey returned to Arsenal's starting lineup in their second game of the season and scored in a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa. The goal was the player's first goal for the club since March 2023.[39] He scored an outside-the-box shot against Nottingham Forest on 23 November 2024.[40] In a post-game interview against Sporting C.P., Arteta praised his performances in the past weeks, stating, "This year, he’s been so consistent...that’s a big thing, he’s a massive player for us".[41] On 2 February 2025, Partey scored a deflected shot off John Stones against Manchester City in a 5–1 rout at the Emirates.[42]
Partey was chosen in Kwesi Appiah's 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.[46] In their last group game, he scored in a 2–0 win over Guinea-Bissau at the Suez Stadium as the Black Stars topped their group.[47] He netted in the penalty shootout at the end of the last-16 game against Tunisia on 8 July, though his team was eliminated.[48]
In March 2022, because of his Moroccan girlfriend, Sara Bella, Partey converted to Islam.[56] In June, it was reported that he had changed his first name to Yakubu as part of his religious conversion, while remaining Thomas Partey both legally and professionally;[57] he said days later that he had changed his name back to Thomas.[58]
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