With seven Ballon d’Ors to his name, Argentine international icon Lionel Messi is no mean opponent for any footballer.
Goalkeepers quiver in front of him, midfielders dread him, strikers feel useless around him and he makes coaches feel helpless.
With a talent that some argue to be the greatest of all time in the history of football, not every player is happy to engage the captain of the 2022 World Cup winning team in a one-on-one situation.
However, to the credit of Ghana’s Thomas Partey, his statistics against Messi proves to be creditably in his favour.
Currently rated as one of the best midfielders in world football, Partey who plays for Arsenal in the English Premier League spent 8 years of his career in Spain.
At Atletico Madrid where he spent most of time in Spain, Partey featured in multiple fixtures against Messi who was then playing for FC Barcelona.
A video collection of Partey’s one-on-one encounters with Messi shows the Ghanaian largely gained the upper hand by either successfully dispossessing a ball from Messi or taking him out.
Partey’s career has already seen him win titles including La Liga (2020-21), UEFA Europa League (2017-18) and UEFA Super Cup (2018).
He was with Atletico Madrid when they became runners-up in the 2015-16 edition of the UEFA Champions League and is currently pivotal in Arsenal’s promising campaign to win the 2022-23 English Premier League.
Watch the video of Thomas Partey’s successful take-ons against Messi below:
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