Gabonese footballer (born 1989)
Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (born 18
June 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker😊 for Ligue 1 club
Marseille and serves as captain for the Gabon national team. Having been recognised as
one of😊 the best strikers in his prime, he was renowned for his pace, finishing, and
off-ball movement.[6]
The son of Pierre Aubameyang,😊 Pierre-Emerick began his senior
club career playing for Italian club AC Milan, but never appeared for the club as he
😊 went on a series of loan spells in France. He moved to Saint-Étienne in 2011. There, he
won a Coupe😊 de la Ligue title and joined Borussia Dortmund in 2013. In Germany,
Aubameyang finished as the league's top goalscorer in😊 the 2024–17 season and won a
DFB-Pokal. He also ranks as the club's seventh highest all-time goalscorer.[7] In 2024,
Aubameyang😊 was the subject of a then-club record association football transfer when he
signed for Arsenal in a transfer worth £56😊 million (€60 million), making him the most
expensive Gabonese player of all time.[8] With Arsenal, he won an FA Cup😊 and finished
as the league's joint-top goalscorer in the 2024–19 season.[9] After departing Arsenal
in 2024, Aubameyang had spells with😊 Barcelona and Chelsea before signing for Marseille
in 2024.
Born in France, Aubameyang chose to represent Gabon at international level,
eventually😊 becoming the nation's all-time top goalscorer. He made his senior debut for
Gabon in 2009 aged 19, and appeared in😊 four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the
2012 Summer Olympics. In 2024, Aubameyang was named African Footballer of the😊 Year; the
first Gabonese and second European-born player to win the award.[10]
Club career [ edit
]
AC Milan [ edit ]
"My😊 role model? Ronaldo, but the Brazilian, not the Portuguese one,
I think [he] has revolutionised football with his way of😊 playing. He was dynamic,
technically strong and fast. He was an enormous player." —Aubameyang on the influence
of his idol,😊 Brazilian striker Ronaldo, on his own career.[11]
Aubameyang joined AC
Milan's youth academy in January 2007. In August, he was part😊 of the squad that
finished fourth in the inaugural Champions Youth Cup held in Malaysia, where he made a
name😊 for himself and attracted the attention of scouts internationally. He scored
against every opponent Milan played, finishing with seven goals😊 in six
matches.[12]
2008–09: Loan to Dijon [ edit ]
For the 2008–09 season, Aubameyang was
loaned out to Dijon of Ligue😊 2 in France to gain first team experience.[13] His
performances there led him to appear in World Soccer's Talent Scout😊 section in Summer
2009.[14] He finished with a total of ten goals and two assists in all competitions,
including two😊 goals in a Coupe de France tie against Selongey.[15]
2009–10: Loan to
Lille [ edit ]
On 24 June 2009, it was😊 announced Ligue 1 club Lille had decided to sign
Aubameyang on loan.[16] Relative to his previous season, however, Aubameyang did😊 not
perform as well, scoring just two goals in 14 appearances, four as a starter.[citation
needed]
2010–11: Loans to Monaco and😊 Saint-Étienne [ edit ]
For the 2010–11 season,
Aubameyang was loaned for the season to Monaco. On 21 August 2010, he😊 scored his first
goal for Monaco in an away match against Lens, then scored again on 29 August at home
😊 to Auxerre, where Monaco won 2–0.[17] In January 2011, after six months with the club,
Aubameyang was loaned to Saint-Étienne😊 until the end of the 2010–11 season, finishing
the season with four goals and three assists. In July 2011, the😊 loan was extended for
the entire 2011–12 season.[citation needed]
Aubameyang with Saint-Étienne in 2011
On 22
December 2011, Aubameyang signed with Saint-Étienne😊 on a permanent deal. He was quickly
added to the starting line up and was given the number 7 jersey.😊 In February 2012, he
scored his first hat-trick against Lorient. He became an integral part of the squad,
scoring half😊 of the team's away goals during the season, and went on to be Ligue 1's
4th top scorer having scored😊 16 goals behind Montpellier's Giroud with 21, PSG's Nenê
with 21 too and Lille's Eden Hazard with 20.
On 20 April😊 2013, Aubameyang was in the
starting line-up for Saint-Étienne in the 2013 Coupe de la Ligue Final. Les Verts won
😊 the match 1–0 with a goal from Brandão to give Aubameyang his first major trophy as a
professional footballer. He😊 finished the season with 18 goals and seven assists in all
competitions.[citation needed]
In the 2012–13 season, Aubameyang ended second in😊 the
competition's top-goalscorers list, scoring 19 goals and finishing behind only Zlatan
Ibrahimović. From his 37 appearances, he also provided😊 eight assists. The season was
widely regarded as his breakout year—he appeared in the Ligue 1 team of the season😊 and
he won the Ligue 1 African Player of the Year award.[18]
Borussia Dortmund [ edit
]
Aubameyang with Borussia Dortmund in😊 2013
On 4 July 2013, Aubameyang joined 2012–13
Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract.[19] He made his
competitive😊 debut for his new club on 27 July 2013 against Bayern Munich in the
DFL-Supercup, replacing Jakub Błaszczykowski for the😊 last 18 minutes of Dortmund's 4–2
victory, assisting Dortmund's final goal, scored by Marco Reus.[citation needed] On 10
August, Aubameyang😊 made his Bundesliga debut and scored a hat-trick against FC
Augsburg, including a goal from his first shot in the😊 league. In the process,
Aubameyang also became the first Gabonese player to appear in the Bundesliga.[20] On 27
November, he😊 scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–1 win against Napoli in the
group stage of the 2013–14 competition.[21]😊 He later took a penalty against 1860 Munich
that propelled Dortmund into the next round of the 2013–14 DFB-Pokal, finishing😊 the
year with 13 league goals and 16 goals in all competitions.[citation needed]
Aubameyang
(left) playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2014
On😊 13 August 2014, Aubameyang assisted
Borussia Dortmund's first goal and scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory over Bayern
😊 Munich in the DFL-Supercup.[22] After scoring the goal, he celebrated by putting on a
Spider-Man mask.[22] In Dortmund's next match,😊 a 4–1 win over Stuttgarter Kickers in
the first round of the DFB-Pokal, Aubameyang scored two-second-half goals and provided
the😊 assist for Adrián Ramos' goal.[23] On 13 September, Aubameyang scored his first
Bundesliga goal of the season, netting Dortmund's final😊 goal of their 3–1 win over SC
Freiburg.[24] Three days later, Aubameyang scored Dortmund's second goal in a 2–0 win
😊 over future club Arsenal in the first group match of the Champions
League.[25]
Aubameyang ended his second season in Dortmund with😊 25 goals from 46
appearances, including one in the 2024 DFB-Pokal Final, where Dortmund were defeated
3–1 by VfL Wolfsburg😊 at the Olympiastadion.[26]
2024–16: League runner-up [ edit ]
On
31 July 2024, Aubameyang signed a new contract to last until 2024,😊 saying, "Every part
of me wants to be here and I have never wanted to leave."[27] On 20 August, he😊 scored a
brace as Dortmund came from 0–3 down to win 3–4 at Odds BK in the first leg of😊 their
Europa League play-off.[28] By scoring in Dortmund's 1–1 draw with 1899 Hoffenheim on
23 September, Aubameyang became the first😊 player in Bundesliga history to score in each
of his team's opening six matches of a season.[29] He later extended😊 this record to
eight matches, scoring in the team's next two fixtures against Darmstadt 98 and Bayern
Munich, before failing😊 to score for the first time in the Bundesliga season in a 2–0
win at Mainz 05.[30]
On 22 October, Aubameyang😊 scored a hat-trick in a UEFA Europa
League match against Gabala of Azerbaijan.[31] Three days later, he scored another
hat-trick😊 in a 5–1 defeat of Augsburg at the Westfalenstadion.[32] On 8 November,
Aubameyang scored the winning goal for Dortmund in😊 a 3–2 Revierderby victory over
rivals FC Schalke 04.[33] At the halfway stage of the Bundesliga season, Aubameyang was
the😊 league's top scorer with 18 goals from 17 appearances.[34]
On 30 January 2024,
Aubameyang scored his 19th and 20th league goals😊 of the season to give Dortmund a 2–0
home victory over FC Ingolstadt.[35] Aubameyang reached 30 goals in all competitions😊 in
a 3–1 victory over VfB Stuttgart in the quarter-final of the 2024–16 DFB-Pokal. In
addition to scoring himself, he😊 assisted the side's other two goals scored by Marco
Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.[36] On 10 March 2024, Aubameyang scored for😊 Borussia in
their 3–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first-leg. A
week later,😊 he scored both goals in the 2–1 second-leg victory at White Hart Lane,
taking him to 35 goals for the😊 season.[37] In scoring two goals in a 5–1 win against
VfL Wolfsburg on 30 April, Aubameyang reached 25 goals in😊 the Bundesliga season, thus
ending as the league's second-top scorer behind Robert Lewandowski of Bayern
Munich.[38]
2024–17: Bundesliga top goalscorer and😊 DFB-Pokal [ edit ]
Aubameyang
training with Borussia Dortmund in 2024
Aubameyang began his 2024–17 season in the
Bundesliga with a double😊 against Mainz 05 on 27 August in a 2–1 victory, while also
scoring twice against VfL Wolfsburg on 20 September.😊 Aubameyang scored three days later
against recently promoted SC Freiburg, bringing his season total to 5, into a tie atop
😊 the scoring charts with Lewandowski early in the season. Following an injury to Marcel
Schmelzer, Aubameyang wore the captain's armband😊 for Dortmund for the first time on 22
October, also scoring a goal in the 3–3 draw at FC Ingolstadt.[39]
Aubameyang😊 also got
off to an excellent start in Dortmund's Champions League group stage matches, scoring
in each of their first😊 leg matches as Dortmund were joint top of their group with Real
Madrid. However, Aubameyang was left out of the😊 squad by Thomas Tuchel for their return
leg against Sporting CP on 2 November due to an "internal issue".[40] It😊 turned out
that he received a one-game suspension for breaking club rules, by traveling to Milan
instead of staying in😊 Dortmund.[41] Expected to return that weekend at Hamburger SV,
Aubameyang exploded with a four-goal performance in a 5–2 victory, their😊 first in five
tries in the Bundesliga, while also assisting Ousmane Dembélé for Dortmund's final
goal.[42]
On 19 November, Aubameyang scored😊 the only goal of a 1–0 win over Bayern
Munich at the Westfalenstadion. This was Dortmund's first Klassiker victory in😊 the
league since April 2014.[43] On 7 December, Aubameyang scored Borussia's first goal in
a 2–2 comeback draw with Real😊 Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to secure
qualification to the next stage as group winners.[44] On 16 December, Aubameyang😊 scored
his 100th goal for Borussia Dortmund in a 2–2 draw away to 1899 Hoffenheim.[45]
On 4
March 2024, Aubameyang passed😊 20 Bundesliga goals for the second consecutive season
with two goals in a 6–2 defeat of Bayer Leverkusen.[46] Four days😊 later, he scored a
hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Benfica to put Dortmund into the quarter-finals of the
Champions😊 League.[47] On 20 May, Aubameyang scored twice in Borussia's final day defeat
of Werder Bremen to end the season as😊 the Bundesliga's top scorer with 31 goals.[48] In
the final of the 2024–17 DFB-Pokal on 27 May 2024 he scored😊 the winning goal, a
penalty, as Dortmund beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2–1.[49]
Arsenal [ edit ]
On 31 January
2024, Aubameyang signed for😊 Premier League club, Arsenal, for a then-club-record
fee,[50] reported to be £56 million.[8]
2024–2024: Debut season, Premier League Golden
Boot [😊 edit ]
Aubameyang (left) celebrating a goal in Arsène Wenger's last home game as
Arsenal manager, 2024
On 3 February, Aubameyang made😊 his debut for Arsenal against
Everton in the Premier League in a 5–1 home victory, scoring the team's fourth goal,
😊 chipping the ball over a grounded Jordan Pickford.[51] After missing the Europa League
matches against Östersunds FK for the Gunners😊 due to being cup-tied, Aubameyang
registered his first away goal for the club in the team's 2–1 away defeat to😊 Brighton &
Hove Albion.[52] Aubameyang registered his first assist for the team, setting up
Henrikh Mkhitaryan's goal in a 3–0😊 win over Watford, Aubameyang also scored the
Gunners' second goal (which was assisted by Mkhitaryan), rounding the
goalkeeper.[53]
Aubameyang kept up😊 his fine goalscoring form by scoring twice in
Arsenal's 3–0 home win against Stoke City. Aubameyang's goals against Stoke (one😊 of
which was also his first converted penalty for the club) made him the first player to
score five times😊 in his first six games for the club.[54][55][non-primary source
needed] He netted his second brace for Arsenal, in manager Arsène😊 Wenger's final home
game for the club, opening and closing the scoring, whilst also assisting Alex Iwobi's
goal, in an😊 eventual 5–0 win over Burnley.[56] Aubameyang followed this up by scoring
the only goal in Arsenal's 1–0 away win against😊 Huddersfield Town. Aubameyang ended the
season with ten goals and four assists in thirteen Premier League games and was the
😊 last goalscorer for Arsenal under Arsène Wenger.[57]
Aubameyang scored his first goal
of the following season in a 3–2 away win😊 over Cardiff City on 2 September 2024. After
a flick from Alexandre Lacazette, Aubameyang took a touch before curling the😊 ball past
the Cardiff goalkeeper. Aubameyang's strike from outside the box ended his personal run
of 76 consecutive goals from😊 inside the box in club football and was also his 150th
goal in league football.[58] Aubameyang made his European debut😊 for Arsenal, in the 4–2
home win over Vorskla Poltava, scoring two goals, before being substituted for Mesut
Özil in😊 the 57th minute. Aubameyang's goals meant that he had been directly involved in
12 goals in 10 appearances for Arsenal😊 at the Emirates Stadium.[59] By October 2024,
Aubameyang had tallied 16 goals in Premier League play since joining Arsenal in
😊 February. According to Opta statistics, that gave him a minutes per goal ratio of
104.6, which set the record for😊 the best minutes per goal ratio in Premier League
history (minimum 10 goals).[60]
Aubameyang became the first player to reach 10😊 goals in
the Premier League that season, following a brace in Arsenal's 4–2 victory over
Tottenham Hotspur in the North😊 London derby on 2 December. Aubameyang scored the
Gunners' opening goal from the penalty spot and later curled a shot😊 past Hugo Lloris in
the second-half; he also grabbed an assist for Arsenal's fourth goal, which was Lucas
Torreira's first😊 goal for the club. The victory took Arsenal above Tottenham in the
Premier League on goal difference.[61]
Aubameyang scored his first😊 Arsenal hat-trick in
the club's 4–2 win over Valencia on 9 May 2024. Aubameyang also set up the Gunners'
second😊 goal, scored by Alexandre Lacazette. Aubameyang's hat-trick meant that Arsenal
reached the Europa League final, making it the club's second😊 European final in thirteen
years.[62] It also saw him become the first Arsenal player to score a hat-trick in the
😊 semi-finals of a European competition.[63]
Aubameyang finished the season with two
goals in a 3–1 away win at Burnley, meaning he😊 ended the season sharing the Premier
League Golden Boot title with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, on 22
goals.[64]😊 He played the full 90 minutes in Arsenal's 4–1 defeat to Chelsea in the
Europa League, failing to make a😊 significant impact as the result meant Arsenal missed
out on Champions League qualification.[65]
2024–2024: FA Cup win and departure [ edit
😊 ]
Aubameyang in a promotional image for Arsenal in 2024
On 11 August 2024, Aubameyang
scored his and Arsenal's first goal of😊 the season in their 1–0 opening match victory
over Newcastle United at St James' Park, in which he demonstrated perfect😊 technique to
cushion a cross from Ainsley Maitland-Niles, to slot the ball past Martin Dúbravka,
with José Mourinho hailing the😊 strike as "a moment of genius".[66][67] Aubameyang
scored his first home goal of the campaign in Arsenal's next game, a😊 2–1 win over
Burnley on 17 August. Aubameyang scored what turned out to be the winning goal,
following an assist😊 from Dani Ceballos.[68] Aubameyang scored his first European goal
of the season on 19 September against Eintracht Frankfurt in the😊 Europa League, as
Arsenal won 3–0 away from home on matchday 1.[69]
Aubameyang's five goals in September,
including equalizers against Tottenham😊 and Manchester United and the winner against
Aston Villa, saw him named the Premier League Player of the Month, beating😊 the likes of
Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tottenham's Son Heung-min and Manchester City duo
Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez to😊 the award.[70] On 5 November 2024, after Granit
Xhaka was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy following his angry reaction to😊 getting
booed by the Arsenal supporters during their Premier League game against Crystal
Palace,[71] head coach Unai Emery confirmed that😊 Aubameyang would take over as the new
Arsenal captain.[72]
On 1 December, following the dismissal of Emery, Aubameyang scored
both goals😊 in Arsenal's eventual 2–2 draw with Norwich City in interim head coach
Freddie Ljungberg's first game in charge. Aubameyang's first😊 goal (a penalty) had to be
retaken, after VAR discovered there to be encroachment in the penalty area.
Aubameyang's first😊 effort was kept out by goalkeeper Tim Krul, however, his second
effort (the same side as his previous attempt), was😊 successfully
converted.[73]
Aubameyang scored in Arsenal's 1–1 draw with Crystal Palace on 11
January 2024, but was also sent off for😊 a late challenge on Palace midfielder Max
Meyer. Aubameyang was originally given a yellow card for the tackle by referee😊 Paul
Tierney, however the card was eventually upgraded to a red card, by the VAR, resulting
in Aubameyang's first-ever red😊 card for the Gunners and would mean that the striker
would miss Arsenal's next three matches against Sheffield United, Chelsea,😊 and
Arsenal's FA Cup tie against Bournemouth.[74]
On 27 February, in Arsenal's Europa
League second leg round of 32 match against😊 Olympiacos and with the aggregate score
tied at 1–1, Aubameyang's scissor kick goal in extra time allowed his side to😊 equalize
the match and lead the tie on aggregate. However, following a 119th-minute goal by
Olympiacos that meant Arsenal would😊 be heading out of the competition, Aubameyang
missed an open shot from five yards out in the last seconds of😊 the match that would
have seen his side through.[75] Following Arsenal's elimination, Aubameyang apologized
for and lamented his miss, stating,😊 "I feel very, very bad. It can happen but I do not
know how I missed this chance. I was😊 tired, I had some cramps but it is not an
excuse."[76]
Following the resumption of the league in the wake of😊 the COVID-19
pandemic, Aubameyang did not score or assist in the first three Premier League games
after the restart for😊 Arsenal, but eventually netted a brace on 1 July against Norwich
City in a 4–0 rout. Aubameyang's first goal was😊 his 50th in the league for Arsenal,
making him the quickest player to reach 50 goals for the club in😊 the Premier League
era, having achieved the feat in just 79 league appearances, four games quicker than
all-time club goalscorer😊 Thierry Henry, and also became the sixth fastest to 50 in the
Premier League, behind Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Ruud😊 van Nistelrooy, Fernando Torres
and Mohamed Salah.[77] Aubameyang also assisted the Gunners' second goal, which was
scored by Granit Xhaka.[78]😊 He ended the season with 22 league goals, one behind Jamie
Vardy, the winner of the Golden Boot, and tied😊 with Danny Ings for second place.[79]
On
18 July, in their FA Cup semi-final against defending champions Manchester City,
Aubameyang scored😊 both goals in a 2–0 win for Arsenal, sending them to the final.[80]
On 1 August, he converted a penalty😊 and scored the winner in the final, as Arsenal
defeated Chelsea 2–1 and Aubameyang lifted his first trophy with the😊 club, becoming the
first African to win the FA Cup as a captain.[81][82]
On 29 August 2024, Aubameyang
scored a goal😊 in normal time and the fifth and winning penalty in a shoot-out win
against Liverpool in the Community Shield, after😊 the game ended 1–1.[83] On 12
September, he scored in the first league game of the new season the final😊 goal of a 3–0
win away to Fulham.[84] On 15 September, Aubameyang signed a new three-year contract
with Arsenal.[85] On😊 1 November, he scored a penalty in a 1–0 away win against
Manchester United, to grant Arsenal their first Premier😊 League win at Old Trafford
since 2006.[86]
Aubameyang scored two goals for Arsenal in their 3–0 victory over
Newcastle United on😊 18 January 2024.[87] However, he did not play in the club's next
three matches, in order to tend to his😊 ill mother.[88] On 14 February, Aubameyang
scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–2 win over Leeds United. This😊 took him
to 200 career goals across Europe's top five leagues.[89] On 25 February, he scored two
goals against Benfica😊 in a 3–2 win to secure a place in the Europa League round of
16.[90] On 14 March, Aubameyang was😊 left out of the starting line up in the North
London Derby against Tottenham, the manager citing disciplinary reasons.
On matchday😊 16
of the 2024–22 season, Aubameyang was omitted from the squad for Arsenal's match
against Southampton, with manager Mikel Arteta😊 yet again citing disciplinary
reasons.[91] Three days later, Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy.[92] On 1
February 2024, Arsenal announced😊 Aubameyang's departure from the club by mutual
consent.[93]
Barcelona [ edit ]
On 2 February 2024, Barcelona reached an agreement for
Aubameyang😊 to join the club. Aubameyang signed a contract until 30 June 2025 with an
option to agree departure on 30😊 June 2024.[94] Aubameyang made his debut for Barcelona
on 6 February 2024, coming on as a substitute in a 4–2😊 win over Atlético Madrid.[95] On
20 February, he scored his first competitive goals in his fourth match for Barcelona,
scoring😊 a hat-trick in a 4–1 away win at Mestalla Stadium over Valencia in a man of the
match performance.[96][97] On😊 20 March, Aubameyang scored a brace and assisted Ferran
Torres in his only El Clásico helping Barcelona to a 4–0😊 away victory against the
league leaders.[98]
On 14 May 2024, Barcelona beat Espanyol in a 4–2 win to secure the
2024–23😊 La Liga title, meaning Aubameyang claimed the first league title in his career,
despite playing just nine minutes for Barca😊 before joining Chelsea in the summer of
2024.[99]
Chelsea [ edit ]
On 2 September 2024, Chelsea announced the signing of
Aubameyang😊 to join the club on a two-year contract.[100] Barcelona confirmed the fee
was €12 million (£10.3 million).[101] Aubameyang made his😊 Chelsea debut on 6 September,
after being named a starter in a 1–0 Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.[102] On
😊 1 October, he made his league debut for the club and scored his first goal in a 2–1
away win😊 against Crystal Palace.[103]
In the Champions League group stage, he scored
two goals in two matches against his former club AC😊 Milan.[104] However, he was later
excluded from the 25-man Champions League squad for the knockout stages by coach Graham
Potter.[105]
Marseille😊 [ edit ]
On 21 July 2024, Aubameyang left Chelsea and signed a
three-year deal with Olympique de Marseille.[106][107] On 12😊 August, he made his debut
coming on as a substitute on the 67th minute in a 2–1 win against Stade😊 de Reims.[108]
Three days later, he scored a brace against Panathinaikos in the Champions League third
qualifying round which gave😊 his team a 2–0 lead; however, Marseille conceded a penalty
in the stoppage time which equaled the tie 2–2, before😊 losing 3–5 on penalties to be
eliminated from the competition.[109]
International career [ edit ]
Aubameyang was
invited to play for Italy😊 U19s after a good season with Dijon, but he debuted for the
France under-21 team in February 2009 in a😊 friendly match against Tunisia
U21.[110]
Aubameyang was also eligible to play for Spain because he has Spanish
nationality. He decided to😊 represent Gabon because his father once captained the team,
but he maintains close relationship with Spain and expressed a desire😊 to play in La
Liga prior to signing for FC Barcelona.[111][112]
On 25 March 2009, Aubameyang was
selected for the Gabon😊 national team[113] and made his debut for the squad. He scored
his first goal in a 2–1 victory over Morocco,😊 then scored a goal each in friendly
matches against Benin, Togo, Algeria and Senegal.[114]
Aubameyang was a key member of
the😊 Gabon national side that reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 Africa Cup of
Nations as co-hosts of the competition. He😊 netted three goals in total, finishing the
tournament as one of the top scorers. On 5 February 2012, he set😊 up the opening goal
for his team and hit the post in the quarter-final against Mali. However, the match
ended😊 1–1 after extra time and Aubameyang had his penalty saved in the shootout to
decide the game.[115]
In July 2012, Aubameyang😊 represented Gabon at the 2012 Summer
Olympics in London. He scored in the team's opening game against Switzerland, which was
😊 Gabon's first-ever Olympic goal, and would also prove to be Gabon's only goal of the
tournament. They were eliminated in😊 the group stage.[116]
On 15 June 2013, Aubameyang
scored a hat-trick of penalty kicks in Gabon's 4–1 2014 FIFA World Cup😊 qualifying win
over Niger. He then scored a brace against Burkina Faso in the 2024 Africa Cup of
Nations Qualification.[citation😊 needed]
Aubameyang captained Gabon at the 2024 Africa
Cup of Nations, scoring the team's opening goal of the tournament in their😊 2–0 win over
Burkina Faso on 17 January 2024.[117] He also scored a brace against Mali on 25 March
2024.😊 He is Gabon's highest goalscorer. He rejected a callup for a pivotal World Cup
qualifier at home to the Ivory😊 Coast, which they lost 3–0.[118]
On 25 March 2024,
Aubameyang captained Gabon to a 3–0 win at home to DR Congo,😊 scoring the third goal to
ensure qualification to the African Cup of Nations to be staged in Cameroon.[119] In
that😊 time, he contracted malaria, in which he got a fever and had to be
hospitalized.[120]
On 6 January 2024, Aubameyang tested😊 positive for COVID-19 before
Gabon's first game in the African Cup of Nations.[121] Aubameyang withdrew from the
tournament a few😊 days later to undergo further medical examinations in England after
being diagnosed with heart lesions.[122]
On 18 May 2024, Aubameyang announced😊 his
retirement from international football.[123] He made a total of 72 appearances for the
Gabon national team and scored 30😊 goals.[124] However, a year later, he announced he
had changed his mind and would return to the national side. He😊 said his decision had
been prompted by a meeting with President Ali Bongo Ondimba.[125]
Media [ edit
]
Aubameyang was involved in😊 the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing:
Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff😊 and players
behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2024–22
season.[126][127]
Produced by Fulwell 73, FIFA released😊 Captains in 2024, an eight-part
sports docuseries following six national team captains in their respective 2024 FIFA
World Cup qualification😊 campaigns.[128] Aubameyang, representing Gabon, starred
alongside Thiago Silva (Brazil), Luka Modrić (Croatia), Andre Blake (Jamaica), Hassan
Maatouk (Lebanon) and Brian😊 Kaltak (Vanuatu).[128] It was released by Netflix and also
shown on FIFA's own streaming platform, FIFA+.[129]
Personal life [ edit ]
Aubameyang
😊 was born in Laval, France.[130] He is the son of former Gabonese international
footballer Pierre Aubameyang and younger half-brother of😊 Catilina and Willy, who have
both played for Milan's youth teams.[131] His mother is Spanish.[132] He is married to
Alysha😊 Behague, the couple have two sons, Curtys and Pierre.[133][134] In August 2024,
Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw during a violent😊 robbery of his home in
Barcelona.[135]
He is multilingual and speaks French, English, Spanish, Italian, and
German.[136]
Career statistics [ edit ]
Club😊 [ edit ]
As of match played 20 December
2024[137]
International [ edit ]
As of matches played on 9 September
2024[138][139]
Appearances and😊 goals by national team and year National team Year Apps
Goals Gabon 2009 7 2 2010 10 3 2011 5😊 0 2012 8 4 2013 4 3 2014 4 2 2024 10 5 2024 4 2
2024 4 2 2024😊 2 1 2024 5 1 2024 2 1 2024 6 3 2024 1 1 2024 2 0 Total 74 30
Honours😊 [
edit ]
Aubameyang in 2011
Saint-Étienne
Borussia
Dortmund
Arsenal
Barcelona
Gabon
Individual
Orders
Commander of the National Order of
Merit of Gabon: 2024[173]
See also [ edit ]
