Ghana midfielder, Thomas Partey has in an interview with BBC Africa has revealed how he began his football career and now a nominee for the 2018 BBC African Footballer of the Year award.
The 25-year-old face a stiff competition from Medhi Benatia (Morocco), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal), Sadio Mane (Senegal) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt) for the prestigious award.
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The Ghanaian deservedly earned his spot after an outstanding year, helping Atletico Madrid to Europa Cup glory and finishing the season as runners-up in the La Liga.
He played over 50 games for the Spanish giants last season.
But the Ghanaian has revealed how talked about the early struggles in his village where he was coached by his father who made a lot of sacrifices for him to reach his superstardom today.
“I started in a small village where my father was the team manager. It was him selling his stuff to try to get me those new boots.†He disclosed
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Partey also revealed looking up to Former Ghana midfielder Michael Essien and Man City legend Yaya Toure in his formative years.
Video below…