PARTEY TIME AFTER HUMBLE START

THOMAS PARTEY has taken a remarkable journey from a poverty- stricken childhood in Ghana to becoming one of Europe’s top midfielders.

His dad Jacob even sold his own possessions to pay for a visa for his son to travel to Spain for a trial with Atletico Madrid in 2011.

Partey has signed a four- year deal with Arsenal worth just under £ 200,000 a week after a deadline- day move to the Emirates.

He will wear the No 18 shirt, and the omens are good because he has asked for Thomas to be printed on his shirt rather than his surname, reviving memories of 1989 title- winning hero Michael Thomas, above. Partey grew up in the town of Krobo Odumase. He was one of eight siblings and his mu mum was a petty trader and his dad ran a football team. te

They struggled to s scrape together the m money to pay for the trip to Europe.

Pa Partey, 27, said: “He

[ dad] d] made a big effort and he sold things in order to get my papers and buy me boots.”

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