THOMAS PARTEY believes he can become an Arsenal star with a little divine inspiration – from himself.
The £45million Ghana star is convinced everyone is their own personal god and sports a tattoo of his face on his right arm to remind him to take responsibility for his life.
Thomas Partey has a tattoo of his OWN FACE on his arm
As he prepares to launch his Premier League career at Manchester City on Saturday, the deadline-day capture is confident he can quickly show just why Mikel Arteta was so keen to bring him to the Emirates.
Partey, 27, said: “I believe everyone on earth is a god. I am a god to myself, so it’s important I take all my own decisions and make everything work for me in my way.”
The ex-Atletico Madrid star has been through enough hard times to know he is strong enough to cope with whatever English football can throw at him.
Arsenal’s new midfielder was little more than a boy when he took the bold decision to leave the family home in Ghana and seek his fortune in Spain.
He quickly learned how to stand on his own two feet and is now ready to show exactly why Mikel Arteta was so keen to bring him to the Emirates.
As he prepares to launch the next stage of his career, Arsenal’s deadline-day capture from Atletico Madrid is counting down the days to a possible Premier League debut at Manchester City on Saturday.
Speaking for the first time since arriving in London, he said: “I know I do not give up in bad situations because I have been there before and I still have many more goals to achieve in football.
“Coming to Arsenal makes me think everything is possible and I know by working hard and giving my best in every game, I can live up to their high expectations.”
Partey is confident he can quickly show just why Mikel Arteta was so keen to bring him to the EmiratesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
As well as the tattoo of his own face, Partey, also has an image of an octopus.
He explained: “When I was playing for Almeria, that’s what they called me because I had long legs and stole a lot of balls.”
And it is that ability to break up play and get his team on the front foot which will be crucial to Arsenal’s ambitions in the coming months.
Atletico boss Diego Simeone was far from impressed when the Gunners went behind his back on Monday last week to pay Partey’s buy-out clause directly to the Spanish football federation.
And his arrival has already sparked a host of ‘party’ memes on social media.
He smiled and said: “Yeah, I’ve seen there are Parteys everywhere. Even the club photographer asked me why I don’t have Partey on the back of my shirt.
“But I started out in Spain as Thomas and people are familiar with that. Thomas is my Christian name and my parents are Christians.
“They pray every day and when you are born into a home like that, you get used to the culture.”
It was Partey’s father, Jacob, who pushed him to stardom after working as a football coach in their home town of Odumase Krobo.
Partey added: “When we were young we watched a lot of Premier League and LaLiga games and, for my father, it is a great feeling for me to achieve my dream.
“He was my first coach and we would go out running with him in the mountains and we would be jumping, heading leaves and all those things.”
Yet Jacob did not even know when his teenage son was whisked away from home by an agent who was looking to organise a trial for him in Spain.
Partey said: “The agent asked my father if he could take me to Spain but he never said which team.
“I got into a car, they took me to Accra, gave me a passport and said ‘Today you travel’.
“My dad wasn’t at home and nobody from my family knew I was.”
Thomas Partey transfer signing proves Arsenal are title contenders, claims team-mates as £45m new boy is unveiled
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
