In July 2025, Partey was charged by theCrown Prosecution Service with five counts ofrape and one count ofsexual assault, relating to alleged incidents involving three women in London between 2021 and 2022.[5]
Born inKrobo Odumase, Partey was a product of local club Odometah's youth ranks.[4] He signed withAtlético Madrid in 2012, after a short spell withLeganés,[6] and was subsequently moved tothe reserves a year later. On 10 March 2013, Partey was called up to the main squad for the match againstReal Sociedad.[7] However, he remained unused in the eventual 0–1 home defeat.[8]
Partey made his first team debut for Atlético Madrid on 28 November 2015, replacingLuciano Vietto in a 1–0 home win against Espanyol.[15] 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 overLevante.[16] On 28 May, he played in theUEFA Champions League Final againstReal Madrid, replacingKoke in the 116th minute as his side lost on penalties.[17]
Partey signed a contract extension with Atlético Madrid through 2022 on 14 February 2017.[18] On 31 October, he scored his first European goal with a long-range strike to equalise at home toQarabağ in a 1–1 draw in the Champions League group game; he became the first African to score in the competition for Atlético.[19] Following his impressive performances for the club, he was rewarded with another contract on 1 March 2018, this time until 2023.[20] On 16 May, he played in the2018 UEFA Europa League Final, as his side won 3–0 againstMarseille.[21]
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 againstEibar.[22] He marked his 100thLa Liga appearance forLos Rojiblancos with aman-of-the-match performance in a 0–0 draw againstReal Madrid in theMadrid derby four weeks later.[23] 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 wonLa Liga that year.[24][25]
Arsenal
On 5 October 2020,Premier League clubArsenal announced the signing of Partey on a long-term contract, after activating his £45 million (€50 million)release clause withAtlético Madrid. He was given the number 18 shirt, which had been vacated byNacho Monreal the previous season.[26] 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 managerMikel Arteta and technical directorEdu.[27]
On 17 October 2020, Partey made his debut for Arsenal as a substitute forGranit Xhaka in a 1–0 away defeat in the league againstManchester City.[28] Five days later, he started his first match for Arsenal in a 2–1 away win overRapid Wien in theUEFA Europa League.[29] Midway through a match againstAston Villa on 8 November, he suffered a thigh injury which saw him miss the rest of the month's games.[30] He returned on 6 December in theNorth London derby, but suffered another injury at half-time as Arsenal lost 2–0 toTottenham Hotspur.[31] He did not play again until a month later, which he came off the bench in a 0–0 draw againstCrystal Palace.[32][33] On 22 October 2021, Partey scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 3–1 win againstAston Villa.[34] In February 2022, Partey was named Arsenal's player of the month.[35]
In the2022–23 season, he scored three goals in 33 appearances, including his club's Goal of the Season in a 3–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.[36] On 6 August 2023, he won his only honour for Arsenal, theFA Community Shield on penalties against Manchester City; he played the entire game and was booked after eight minutes for kicking the ball away after foulingJulián Alvarez.[37][38] In November 2023, he sustained a hamstring injury which kept him sidelined for most of the2023–24 season.[39]
On 24 August 2024, Partey returned to Arsenal's starting line-up in their second game of the2024–25 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.[40] He scored an outside-the-box shot againstNottingham Forest on 23 November 2024.[41] In a post-game interview againstSporting 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".[42] On 2 February 2025, Partey scored a deflected shot offJohn Stones against Manchester City in a 5–1 rout at theEmirates.[43] His contract expired at the end of the season and negotiations for a new deal were not agreed.[44][45][46]
Villarreal
On 7 August 2025, La Liga clubVillarreal announced the signing of Partey on a free transfer.[47] The club said that it was aware of Partey's legal affairs, but believed in thepresumption of innocence.[47] He made his debut eight days later as theseason began with a 3–0 home win overReal Oviedo, as a substitute for the last eight minutes; according to journalistSid Lowe, there was no opposition to Partey's involvement in the game.[48]
Partey was chosen inKwesi Appiah's 23-man squad for the2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.[56] In their last group game, he scored in a 2–0 win overGuinea-Bissau at theSuez Stadium as the Black Stars topped their group.[57] He netted in the penalty shootout at the end of the last-16 game againstTunisia on 8 July, though his team was eliminated.[58]
Partey converted toIslam in March 2022, because of his Moroccan girlfriend, Sara Bella.[66] In June 2022, it was reported that he had changed his first name to Yakubu as part of hisreligious conversion, while remaining Thomas Partey both legally and professionally;[67] he said days later that he had changed his name back to Thomas.[68]
In July 2025, Partey was charged with five counts ofrape and one count ofsexual assault, relating to alleged incidents involving three women between 2021 and 2022. He appeared atWestminster Magistrates' Court on 5 August 2025.[70][71][72] Partey was the previously unnamed footballer who news reports had said had been arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2022.[73][74][75] He was not named at this point due to legal reasons and continued to play for Arsenal while under investigation. However, he was named as the footballer under investigation on social media, was subject to jeers related to the investigation while playing, andMPs and women's groups called for his suspension from the club.[76][77][78]
TheMetropolitan Police submitted an evidence file on Partey to theCrown Prosecution Service to assess possible criminal charges in January 2025.[79][80][81] Arsenal faced criticism for how they handled the situation while Partey was under investigation. In this period, they had continued to play him regularly despite being aware of the allegations and investigation. Furthermore, one of Partey's alleged victims contacted the club and said they did not show enough sympathy to her.[82][83][84][85] 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."[86] With head coachMikel Arteta stating he was "100 per cent" sure the club had followed all the correct processes around the arrest and investigation.[86]
Partey appeared at Southwark Crown Court on 17 September 2025, where he entered a plea of not guilty to the charges of rape.[86][87][88][89] He was granted bail on the same conditions as before his appearance.[86] A trial date of 2 November 2026 was set for the case to be heard at Southwark Crown Court.[87]
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Congo
Saudi Arabia
Japan
Iceland
Mauritania
Guinea-Bissau
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Nigeria
Madagascar
Central African Republic
