He faces five charges of rape against two women and a charge of sexual assault involving a third alleged victim.
Thomas Partey, 32, is a Ghanian professional footballer who made a name for himself in both the Premier League and Spain’s La Liga.
He also represents Ghana’s national team, winning Ghana Player of the year in 2018 and 2019.
Partey also starred in Amazon’s docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club during the 2021-2022 season.
What team did he play for?
Partey rose through the ranks of a local Ghanaian football club, Odometah, before signing with Atlético Madrid in 2012 after a short spell with Leganes. He stayed at the Spanish club for a total of seven years, featuring two loan seasons at Mallorca and Almeria in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons respectively.
During his time at Atlético Madrid, Partey won the UEFA Europa League and the EUFA Super Cup. He also played in the 2016 UEFA Champions League final.
When did Partey join Arsenal?
With his role firmly established as a defensive midfielder, Partey joined Arsenal in 2020 for a fee of £45 million, activating his release clause with Atletico Madrid.
He took on the number 18 shirt, which had recently just been vacated by the Spanish defender and former Arsenal player Nacho Monreal.
Partey made his debut for the north London club as a substitute for Granit Xhaka in a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City.
After suffering a series of injuries, he finally scored his first goal on October 22, 2021. During his time at Arsenal, he scored 9 goals across 130 appearances in his five year spell.
In June, it was confirmed that his contract had expired and that there were no negotiations for a new deal.
Did he play for the Ghana national team?
Partey was called up for the Ghana national team in May 2016. He made his debut the following month in the final 11 minutes of a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match.
He scored his first international hattrick in September 2017 during the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifications.
Partey worked his way up to vice-captain for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2022.
What do we know about Partey’s personal life?
Thomas Partey is believed to be in a relationship with Sara Bella. It has been reported in the Nigerian local press that Partey converted to Islam for his girlfriend, who is of Moroccan heritage and a practicing Muslim.
In doing so, he changed his name to Yakubu though he continued to be known professionally as Thomas.
Little else is known about Partey’s family life or personal life.
