Partey recounts meeting Falcao, Diego Costa at Atletico after watching them on TV
The Ghana international met a dressing room of superstars and has now disclosed that he felt motivated after seeing strikers Falcao and Costa in person following years of admiring them from the back of his television.
“I remember when I arrived they had players like Falcao and Diego Costa who I had watched on TV,” Partey told Arsenal.com.
“That was the motivation for me. I knew it was a big chance for me at a big team, so I put everything else behind me. I missed my family a lot, but I was able to control my mind to focus on staying at Atletico and doing well.
“We had a few other African players at the time, or French African, who were my friends, but to be honest I was really close with most of the players. I learnt a bit of English, and could interact with my teammates.”
Partey spent seven years at Atletico Madrid, where he had loan stints with Real Mallorca and Almeria, and later won La Liga, the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup with Diego Simeone’s side.
The 30-year-old then completed a £45 million deadline-day move from the Spanish side to Premier League outfit Arsenal in the summer of 2020.
In his four and a half years at Arsenal, Partey has won the Community Shield and helped the Gunners to return to the UEFA Champions League.
