Thomas Teye Partey (born 13 June 1993) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Villarreal and the Ghana national team. He began his professional career at Spanish club Atlético Madrid in 2013, going on loan to Mallorca and Almería.
⚽ Early Career and Loans
Born in Krobo Odumase, Partey was a product of local club Odometah’s youth ranks. He signed with Atlético Madrid in 2012, after a short spell with Leganés, 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, but remained unused in the eventual 0–1 home defeat.
On 12 July, Partey was loaned to Mallorca, freshly relegated to the second level. On 18 August, he made his professional debut, in a 0–4 away defeat against Sabadell. Partey scored his first professional goal on 15 September, netting his side’s second of a 2–2 draw at Hércules. On 27 July 2014, Partey joined La Liga side Almería on a loan. He made his debut in the competition on 23 August, starting in a 1–1 home draw against Espanyol. Partey scored his first goals in the main category of Spanish football on 11 April 2015, netting a brace in a 3–0 home win against Granada.
🏆 Atlético Madrid Success
Partey made his first team debut for Atlético Madrid on 28 November 2015, replacing Luciano Vietto in a 1–0 home win against Espanyol. 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. 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.
Partey signed a contract extension with Atlético Madrid through 2022 on 14 February 2017. 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. Following his impressive performances for the club, he was rewarded with another contract on 1 March 2018, this time until 2023. On 16 May, he played in the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final, as his side won 3–0 against Marseille. 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.
🔴 Arsenal Career
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. 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. On 22 October 2021, Partey scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 3–1 win against Aston Villa. In February 2022, Partey was named Arsenal’s player of the month.
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. On 6 August 2023, he won his only honour for Arsenal, the FA Community Shield on penalties against Manchester City. On 24 August 2024, Partey returned to Arsenal’s starting line-up in their second game of the 2024–25 season and scored in a 2–0 victory over Aston Villa. His contract expired at the end of the season and negotiations for a new deal were not agreed.
🇪🇸 Villarreal Move
On 7 August 2025, La Liga club Villarreal announced the signing of Partey on a free transfer. The club said that it was aware of Partey’s legal affairs, but believed in the presumption of innocence. He made his debut eight days later as the season began with a 3–0 home win over Real Oviedo, as a substitute for the last eight minutes. Partey made an appearance as a 78th-minute substitute against Arsenal’s rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase, where his introduction to the match was met with loud boos from home fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Villarreal lost the match 1–0.
🇬🇭 International Career
In May 2016, Partey was called up for the first time to the Ghana national team by manager Avram Grant, ahead of a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Mauritius. He made his debut on 5 June, replacing Frank Acheampong for the final 11 minutes of a 2–0 away win. On 5 September 2017, Partey scored his first international hat-trick in a 5–1 win against Congo in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. Partey won Ghana Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019. Ahead of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, as well as for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Partey was named Ghana’s vice-captain.
In November 2022, Partey was called up to the 26-man Ghana squad that would compete in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In May 2026, Partey was included in Ghana’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as vice-captain. On 12 June, it was announced Partey had been denied entry to Canada, and would be unable to feature in Ghana’s opening World Cup match against Panama in Toronto as a result. He was given a visa by the United States for Ghana’s two other games, with officials saying that they were aware of his upcoming trial, but he had not been convicted of any crime. On 16 June, Partey’s appeal against his denial of entry to Canada was dismissed, and court documents revealed his application to enter Canada contained the answer “no” to the question of whether or not he had “ever been charged for any criminal offence in any country”. On 21 June, after being allowed to enter the United States, Partey returned to Ghana’s squad for their FIFA World Cup group-stage match against England in Boston.
⚖️ Legal Charges
In July 2025, Partey was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to alleged incidents involving three women in London between 2021 and 2022. In February 2026, he was further charged with two additional counts of rape, relating to alleged incidents involving a fourth woman in London in 2020. Partey appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 5 August 2025. Partey was the previously unnamed footballer who news reports had said had been arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2022. He was not named at this point due to legal reasons and continued to play for Arsenal while under investigation.
The Metropolitan Police submitted an evidence file on Partey to the Crown Prosecution Service to assess possible criminal charges in January 2025. Arsenal faced criticism for how they handled the situation while Partey was under investigation. Arsenal have stated that “The player’s contract ended on June 30. Due to ongoing legal proceedings, the club is unable to comment on the case.” Partey appeared at Southwark Crown Court on 17 September 2025, where he entered a plea of not guilty to the charges of rape. He was granted bail on the same conditions as before his appearance. A trial date of 2 November 2026 was set for the case to be heard at Southwark Crown Court.
👤 Personal Life
Partey converted to Islam in March 2022, because of his Moroccan girlfriend, Sara Bella. In June 2022, 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; he said days later that he had changed his name back to Thomas. Partey was made a chief of the Manya Krobo people of the Eastern Region of Ghana in June 2022 by their paramount chief, Nene Sakite II, as a reward for captaining the team to 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification at the expense of rivals Nigeria. Partey was involved in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.
| Category | Detail | Category | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Thomas Teye Partey | Date of Birth | 13 June 1993 |
| Position | Defensive midfielder | Current Club | Villarreal |
| National Team | Ghana | Most Expensive Transfer | £45 million to Arsenal (2020) |
| Major Honours | UEFA Europa League (2018), UEFA Super Cup (2018), FA Community Shield (2023) | Legal Status | Charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault; pleaded not guilty; trial set for November 2026 |