Ghanaian international, Thomas Partey says he never imagined playing football at the highest level.
The defensive midfielder has become a regular starter for his club side, Atletico Madrid in the last three seasons.
The 27-year-old joined the Spanish giants in 2012 and had loan spells with RCD Mallorca and UD Almeria before gradually making it into the first team of the Los Rojiblancos.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” he told the official club website. “Sometimes, I can’t believe I am here because I look back at my friends and I can’t even imagine myself here.
“I sometimes want to ask them, what have I done to be here? Why are they not here?
“But then I tell myself it is because I was patient, I was not in a hurry to make it. I feel I have to congratulate myself all the time because it is not easy to reach this level.
The Ghana international has made a total of 185 appearances for Atletico de Madrid, scoring 24 goals for the club.
He has also helped Atleti win two major trophies, the Europa League in 2018 and Super Cup the same year beating Real Madrid to victory.