Arsenal star Partey changes his name back to Thomas days after taking up Yakubu

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has changed his first name back to 'Thomas' days after saying he is picking up the name Yakubu. 

Partey had revealed in an interview he changed his name after converting to Islam. However, the ex-Arsenal man has come out to clarify the comment. 

Speaking on his Twitter page, Partey revealed his first name is still Thomas, saying he was only joking about changing his name to Yakubu. 

The Ghana star joked about the incident after confirming the reports that he had changed his religion to Islam.

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Partey, who was born a Christian, converted to Islam following his marriage to Moroccan girlfriend Sara Bella. 

Before his marriage, Partey had also taken Islamic lectures in London. The Ghana star revealed it was easy for him to convert to Islam as he had a lot of Muslim friends as a child. 

"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 likes of Paul Pogba, Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka, and Emmanuel Adebayor on the list of players that converted to Islam. 

Partey is currently undergoing rehabilitation after suffering an injury that kept him out of the final months of the just-concluded season. 

The Gunners star missed Ghana's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers due to the injury.