Thomas Partey facts for kids
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Partey with Atlético Madrid in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Teye Partey | ||
| Date of birth | 13 June 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Krobo Odumase, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Villarreal | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2012 | Odometah | ||
| 2012 | Leganés | ||
| 2012–2013 | Atlético Madrid | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2020 | Atlético Madrid | 132 | (12) |
| 2013–2014 | → Mallorca (loan) | 37 | (5) |
| 2014–2015 | → Almería (loan) | 31 | (4) |
| 2020–2025 | Arsenal | 130 | (9) |
| 2025– | Villarreal | 25 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016– | Ghana | 58 | (16) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:11, 15 June 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:04, 15 June 2026 (UTC) |
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Thomas Teye Partey (born 13 June 1993) is a professional footballer from Ghana. He plays as a defensive midfielder for the Spanish club Villarreal. Thomas is also a key player for the Ghana national team.
Thomas Partey started his football journey in Spain with Atlético Madrid in 2013. He played for Mallorca and Almería on loan before returning to Atlético. With Atlético, he won the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup in 2018. He also played in the 2016 UEFA Champions League final. In 2020, he moved to Arsenal in England. He played many games for Arsenal and won the FA Community Shield in 2023.
Thomas is also a key player for the Ghana national team. He played for Ghana in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was recognized as one of the best players in Africa, being named to the CAF Team of the Year in 2018. He also won Ghana Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019.
Contents
Thomas Partey's Club Football Journey
Starting with Atlético Madrid
Thomas Partey was born in Krobo Odumase, Ghana. He started playing football at a local club called Odometah. In 2012, he joined Atlético Madrid in Spain. Before that, he had a short time with Leganés. A year later, he moved to Atlético's reserve team. In March 2013, he was called to the main Atlético Madrid team for a game, but he did not play.
Loan Spells at Mallorca and Almería
To gain more experience, Thomas was loaned to other Spanish clubs. In July 2013, he joined Mallorca. He played his first professional game in August and scored his first goal in September. In July 2014, he moved to Almería on another loan. He made his debut in La Liga, Spain's top league, in August. In April 2015, he scored two goals in one game for Almería.
Returning to Atlético Madrid's Main Team
Thomas returned to Atlético Madrid and played his first game for their main team in November 2015. He scored his first league goal for them in January 2016. In May 2016, he played in the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final against Real Madrid. Atlético lost that match after a penalty shootout. Thomas signed new contracts with Atlético in 2017 and 2018, showing how important he was to the team. In October 2017, he scored his first goal in a European competition, the Champions League. He helped Atlético win the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final in May 2018. In September 2019, he scored a winning goal in the last minute of a game against Eibar. He also played his 100th La Liga game for Atlético, earning the "man-of-the-match" award. Even though he left early in the 2020–21 season, he had played enough games to receive a medal when Atlético won La Liga that year.
Time with Arsenal F.C.
In October 2020, Thomas joined Premier League club Arsenal in England. He signed a long-term contract and was given the number 18 shirt. Thomas said he wanted to help Arsenal succeed and was looking for new challenges. He made his debut for Arsenal on October 17, 2020. Five days later, he started his first game in the UEFA Europa League. During his time at Arsenal, he faced some injuries. He scored his first goal for Arsenal in October 2021. In February 2022, he was named Arsenal's player of the month.
In the 2022–23 season, he scored three goals, including one that was chosen as the club's Goal of the Season. On August 6, 2023, he helped Arsenal win the FA Community Shield against Manchester City. He returned from an injury in August 2024 and scored in a game against Aston Villa. He continued to score important goals for Arsenal, including one against Manchester City in February 2025. His contract with Arsenal ended at the close of the 2024-25 season.
Moving to Villarreal
On August 7, 2025, Thomas Partey joined Spanish club Villarreal on a free transfer. He made his debut for Villarreal eight days later in a 3–0 win against Real Oviedo. He came on as a substitute for the last eight minutes of the game. Thomas also played against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League.
Representing Ghana: International Football
Thomas Partey first joined the Ghana national team in May 2016. He made his debut on June 5, helping Ghana qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. In September 2017, he scored his first international hat-trick (three goals in one game) against Congo. He was part of Ghana's squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored a goal against Guinea-Bissau. He also scored in a penalty shootout against Tunisia.
Thomas was named Ghana Player of the Year in both 2018 and 2019. He became Ghana's vice-captain for the qualifiers and the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In November 2022, he played for Ghana in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In May 2026, Thomas was again selected as vice-captain for Ghana's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, on June 12, it was announced that he could not enter Canada, which meant he missed Ghana's first World Cup match against Panama.
Thomas Partey in the Media
Thomas Partey was featured in the Amazon Original sports show All or Nothing: Arsenal. This show followed the club during their 2021–22 season. It showed what happens behind the scenes with the coaches and players.
Thomas Partey's Personal Life
Thomas Partey became a Muslim in March 2022. He later said he had changed his first name to Yakubu as part of his faith, but he continued to be known as Thomas Partey legally and professionally. Days later, he confirmed he had changed his name back to Thomas.
In June 2022, Thomas was honored by the Manya Krobo people in Ghana. He was made a chief by their paramount chief, Nene Sakite II. This was a reward for helping the Ghana team qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mallorca (loan) | 2013–14 | Segunda División | 37 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 38 | 5 | |||
| Almería (loan) | 2014–15 | La Liga | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 4 | |||
| Atlético Madrid | 2015–16 | La Liga | 13 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 23 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | La Liga | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | La Liga | 33 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 14 | 1 | — | 50 | 5 | |||
| 2018–19 | La Liga | 32 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 3 | ||
| 2019–20 | La Liga | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 132 | 12 | 14 | 2 | — | 39 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 188 | 16 | |||
| Arsenal | 2020–21 | Premier League | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 40 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 35 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | — | 52 | 4 | ||
| Total | 130 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 167 | 9 | ||
| Villarreal | 2025–26 | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 355 | 30 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 71 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 457 | 34 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | 2016 | 5 | 0 |
| 2017 | 10 | 5 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 58 | 16 | |
- Ghana score listed first, score column indicates score after each Partey goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 September 2017 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana |  Congo |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 5 September 2017 | Stade Municipal de Kintélé, Brazzaville, Congo | Congo |
2–0 | 5–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 3–1 | |||||
| 4 | 4–1 | |||||
| 5 | 10 October 2017 | King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |  Saudi Arabia |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 30 May 2018 | International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan |  Japan |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 7 June 2018 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland |  Iceland |
2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 8 | 26 March 2019 | Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana |  Mauritania |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 9 | 2 July 2019 | Suez Stadium, Suez, Egypt |  Guinea-Bissau |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 10 | 14 November 2019 | Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Ghana |  South Africa |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 11 | 9 October 2021 | Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Ghana |  Zimbabwe |
2–1 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 12 October 2021 | National Sports Stadium, Harare, Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 29 March 2022 | Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria |  Nigeria |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 14 | 24 March 2025 | Grand Stade d'Al Hoceima, Al Hoceima, Morocco |  Madagascar |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 15 | 2–0 | |||||
| 16 | 8 October 2025 | Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium, El Jadida, Morocco |  Central African Republic |
2–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours and Awards
Team Achievements
Atlético Madrid
- La Liga: 2020–21
- UEFA Europa League: 2017–18
- UEFA Super Cup: 2018
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2015–16
Arsenal
- FA Community Shield: 2023
Individual Awards
- CAF Team of the Year: 2018, 2023
- SWAG Sports Personality of the Year: 2018
- Ghana Player of the Year: 2017, 2018
- Ghana Football Awards Foreign-based Player of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19
- Ghana Football Awards Footballer of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2024–25
