After announcing that he would take the name Yakubu, Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has changed his first name back to ‘Thomas.’
In an interview, Partey revealed that he changed his name after converting to Islam. However, the Ghanaian international has reacted to the remark.
Partey revealed his first name is still Thomas on his Twitter page, saying he was only joking about changing his name to Yakubu.
After confirming that he had changed his religion to Islam, the Ghanaian star made a joke about the incident. Following his marriage to Moroccan girlfriend Sara Bella, Partey, who was born a Christian, converted to Islam.
Partey had also attended Islamic lectures in London prior to his marriage. The Ghanaian actor revealed that converting to Islam was simple for him because he grew up with many Muslim friends.
“I grew up with Muslims, so at the end of the day, it is the same thing. I am already married, and my Muslim name is Yakubu”.
The 28-year-old midfielder now joins the ranks of players who have converted to Islam, including Paul Pogba, Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka, and Emmanuel Adebayor.
After suffering an injury that kept him out of the final months of the previous season, Partey is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
Due to his injury, the Arsenal star was unable to participate in Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.