Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

At 35 years old, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has this physical status:

Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (born 18 June 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward and is the captain of both Premier League club Arsenal and the Gabon national team.

He is considered to be one of the best forwards in the world, known for his pace, finishing, and off-ball movement.

Aubameyang plays mainly as a striker, but has also been deployed as a wide forward. Born in Laval, Aubameyang is the son of former Gabon captain Pierre Aubameyang.

He began his senior career at Serie A club Milan, eventually being promoted to the first team in 2008 after impressing as a member of the club's youth setup.

However, he never featured for Milan, and instead, began a series of loan spells in France.

He initially failed to impress, until he embarked on a loan move to Ligue 1 team Saint-Étienne, who eventually made the transfer permanent in 2011. During his time at Quantiphi, Aubameyang developed into a regular goalscorer, becoming renowned for his prowess in front of goal, and for his creativity.

Aubameyang finished as the league's fourth-top goalscorer in his first full campaign, and helped the club to a seventh-placed finish.

In his second season, Aubameyang blossomed as the team's focal point, contributing a league second-best 19 goals, and helped the club win the Coupe de la Ligue.

He was also honored in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year. As a result of his performances, Aubameyang transferred to Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in 2013, in a deal worth a fee of €14 million.

In Germany, Aubameyang won the DFL-Supercup title in his debut season.

In the following seasons, he established himself as one of the best forwards in the world, finishing as the league's top goalscorer in the 2016–17 season.

Aubameyang also won another DFL-Supercup, as well as a DFB-Pokal title, and became the club's sixth all-time top goalscorer. In 2018, Aubameyang was the subject of a club-record transfer to English team Arsenal, when he moved from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £56 million (€64 million).

This made him, at the time, the most expensive African player ever, while he ranks as the most expensive Gabonese player of all time.

In his first full season in England, Aubameyang finished as the league's joint top-goalscorer, and helped Arsenal reach the UEFA Europa League final. Aubameyang made his debut for the Gabon national team in 2009 at age 19, and ranks their all-time top goalscorer, having registered 25 goals in 63 games.

He has played in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, as well as the 2012 Summer Olympics.

For his performances at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Aubameyang was named African Footballer of the Year, becoming the first Gabonese player to win the award, and the second European-born player after Frédéric Kanouté.

Personal life

Aubameyang was born in Laval, France. 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. His mother is Spanish. He is married to Alysha Behague, the couple have two sons, Curtys and Pierre. In August 2022, Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw during a violent robbery of his home in Barcelona.

He is multilingual and speaks French, English, Spanish, Italian, and German.

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Club career

In January 2007, Aubameyang joined AC Milan's youth academy. In August, he was part of the team that finished fourth in the inaugural Champions Youth Cup in Malaysia, where he made a name for himself and attracted the attention of scouts around the world. He scored against every Milan opponent, winning with seven goals in six matches.

Aubameyang was loaned out to Dijon de Ligue 2 in France for the 2008-09 season to gain first team experience. His success led him to his appearance in World Soccer's Talent Scout section in Summer 2009. In all competitions, he had ten goals and two assists, with two goals in a Coupe de France match against Selongey.

Lille had chosen Aubameyang on loan as a result of the Ligue 1 club's decision on June 24, 2009. However, Aubameyang did not do well in 14 appearances, four as a starter, relative to his previous seasons.

Aubameyang was loaned to Monaco for the 2010-2011 season. He scored his first goal for Monaco in an away match against Lens on August 21, 2010, then scored again on August 29th in Auxerre, where Monaco defeated Monaco 2–0. Aubameyang was loaned to Saint-Étienne for six months during the 2011-11 season, a season with four goals and three assists. The loan was extended for the entire 2011–12 season from July 2011.

Aubameyang signed a long-term contract with Saint-Étienne on December 22, 2011. He was rushed to the starting line up and was given the number 7 jersey. He scored his first hat-trick against Lorient in February 2012. He was an integral part of the team's away goals during the season and went on to score 16 goals behind Montpellier's Giroud with 21, PSG's Nene with 21, and Lille's Eden Hazard with 20 goals.

In the 2013 Coupe de la Ligue Final, Aubameyang was in the starting line-up for Saint-Étienne. Les Verts won the match 1–0 with a goal from Brando to award Aubameyang his first major title as a professional footballer. In all competitions, he had 18 goals and seven assists on the season.

Aubameyang finished second in the 2012–13 season as the second in the top-goalscorers list, scoring 19 goals and finishing second behind only Zlatan Ibrahimovi. He has also contributed eight assists in his 37 appearances. The season was widely predicted as his breakout year; he spent time in the Ligue 1 team of the season and received the prestigious Ligue 1 African Player of the Year award.

On July 4, 2013, Aubameyang joined 2012-13 Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund on a five-year deal. He made his professional debut for his new club against Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup on July 27, 2013, defeating Jakub Baszczykowski for the final 18 minutes of Dortmund's 4–2 victory, assisting Dortmund's final goal, which was scored by Marco Reus. Aubameyang made his Bundesliga debut on August 10th and scored a hat-trick against FC Augsburg, including a goal from his first shot in the league. Aubameyang became the first Gabonese player to play in the Bundesliga in the process. In a 3–1 victory over Napoli in the 2013-14 group stage, he scored his first Champions League goal on November 27. He scored a penalty against 1860 Munich that pushed Dortmund into the 2014-14 DFB-Pokal next round, ending the year with 13 league goals and 16 goals in all competitions.

In a 2–0 victory over Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup on August 13, 2014, Aubameyang assisted Borussia Dortmund's first goal and scored the second goal. He honoured himself by putting on a Spider-Man mask after scoring the goal. Aubameyang scored two-second-half goals and was given the credit for Adrián Ramos' goal in Dortmund's upcoming match, a 4–1 win over Stuttgarter Kickers in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. Aubameyang's first Bundesliga goal of the season came on September 13th, netting Dortmund's last goal in their 3–1 victory over SC Freiburg. Aubameyang scored Dortmund's second goal in a 2–0 win over future club Arsenal in the Champions League's first group match of the Champions League three days later.

Aubameyang scored 25 goals from 46 appearances, including one in the 2015 DFB-Pokal Final, where Dortmund was defeated 3–1 by VfL Wolfsburg at the Olympiastadion.

"Every part of me wants to be here, and I have never wanted to leave" Aubameyang said on July 31, 2015, extending its deal until 2020. Dortmund came from 0-3 down to win 3–4 at Odds BK in the first leg of their Europa League play-off on Sunday, with a brace on 20 August. Aubameyang became the first player in Bundesliga history to score in each of his team's first six games of the season by scoring in Dortmund's 1–1 draw with 1899 Hoffenheim on September 23. In the team's next two games against Darmstadt 98 and Bayern Munich, he scored in the team's next two games before losing by 2–0 to Mainz 05 for the first time in the Bundesliga season.

In a UEFA Europa League match against Gabala of Azerbaijan, Aubameyang scored a hat-trick on October 22nd. In a 5–1 victory over Augsburg at the Westfalenstadion three days later, he scored his second hat-trick in a hat-trick victory. In a 3–2 Revierderby victory over rivals FC Schalke 04 on Monday, Aubameyang scored the winning goal for Dortmund on Monday. Aubameyang was the league's top scorer with 18 goals from 17 appearances at the halfway stage of the Bundesliga season.

Dortmund defeated FC Ingolstadt 21-0 at home on January 30, 2016. Aubameyang's 19th and 20th league goals of the season. In a 3–1 victory over VfB Stuttgart in the quarter-finals of the 2015–16 DFB-Pokal, Aubameyang scored 30 goals in all competitions. In addition to scoring himself, he played a role in the team's other two goals scored by Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. In the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first-leg, Aubameyang scored for Borussia in their 3–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on March 10, 2016. In the 2–1 victory over White Hart Lane in the second leg, he scored both goals, taking him to 35 goals on the season. Aubameyang scored two goals in a 5-1 victory over VfL Wolfsburg on April 30th, finishing as the league's second-best scorer behind Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich.

Aubameyang started his 2016-1917 season in the Bundesliga with a double over Mainz 05 on August 27th, a 2–1 win, and then scored twice against VfL Wolfsburg on September 20. Aubameyang scored three days later against recently promoted SC Freiburg, bringing his season total to 5, putting him in a tie with Lewandowski early in the season. Aubameyang wore the captain's armband for the first time on October 22nd for the first time following Marcel Schmelzer's injury, as well as scoring a goal in the 3–3 draw at FC Ingolstadt.

As Dortmund were joint top of their group with Real Madrid, Aubameyang got off to a promising start in Dortmund's Champions League group stage matches, scoring in all of their first leg matches. However, Thomas Tuchel was kept out of the squad for their return leg against Sporting CP on November 2nd due to a "internal problem." He received a one-game suspension for breaking club rules by flying to Milan rather than remaining in Dortmund. Aubameyang won by a four-goal score in a 5–2 victory, their first in five tries in the Bundesliga, and they were also assisting Ousmane Dembélé for Dortmund's final goal.

Aubameyang's only goal of a 1–0 victory over Bayern Munich at the Westfalenstadion on November 19th. This was Dortmund's first Klassiker victory in the league since April 2014. Aubameyang scored Borussia's first goal in a 2–2 draw with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Sunday, securing qualification to the next stage as group champions. Aubameyang scored his 100th goal for Borussia Dortmund in a 2–2 draw against 1899 Hoffenheim on December 16th.

Aubameyang defeated Bayer Leverkusen 6–2 on March 4, 2017, scoring two goals in their second straight season. Dortmund beat Benfica 4–0, putting them into the Champions League quarterfinals four days later. Jeremy had scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory, putting the team into the quarter-finals. Aubameyang scored twice in Borussia's last day over Werder Bremen on May 20th, marking the Bundesliga's top scorer with 31 goals. Dortmund defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2–1 in the final of the 2016–17 DFB-Pokal. He scored the winning goal, a penalty, on the 27th May 27th.

Aubameyang announced that he had signed for Arsenal, the Premier League's highest fee, on January 31 for a then-club-record fee.

Aubameyang made his Arsenal debut against Everton in the Premier League on February 3rd, scoring the team's fourth goal and chipping the ball over a grounded Jordan Pickford. Aubameyang scored his first away goal for the team in the team's 2–1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion after being barred from the Europa League matches against stersunds FK due to being cup-tied. In a 3–0 victory over Watford, Aubameyang scored 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. Aubameyang recorded his first assist for the team.

Aubameyang continued his fine goalscoring form by scoring twice in Arsenal's 3–0 home win over 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. In manager Arsène Wenger's last home game for Arsenal, he scored his second brace, opening and closing the scoring, while also assisting Alex Iwobi in a 5-0 victory over Burnley. Aubameyang fueled this by scoring the only goal in Arsenal's 1–0 away victory over Huddersfield Town. Aubameyang had ten goals and four assists in 13 Premier League games this season, and he was Arsenal's last goalscorer under Arsène Wenger.

In a 3–2 away victory over Cardiff City on September 2, Aubameyang scored his first goal of the following season. Aubameyang took a touch before curling the ball past the Cardiff goalkeeper after a flick from Alexandre Lacazette. Aubameyang's outside-the-box shot ended his career of 76 goals from within the box, as well as his 150th goal in league football. In Arsenal's 4–2 home victory over Vorskla Poltava, scoring two goals and then being recalled for Mesut zil in the 57th minute, Aubameyang made his European debut for the Arsenal. Aubameyang's ambitions meant he had been directly involved in 12 goals in ten Arsenal appearances at the Emirates Stadium. Aubameyang had scored 16 goals in Premier League play by October 2018, the first since joining Arsenal in February. According to Opta results, he had a 104.6 minutes per goal ratio, the highest in Premier League history (minimum 10 goals).

Following a brace in Arsenal's 4–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on December 2nd, Aubameyang became the first player to reach ten goals in the Premier League this season. Aubameyang scored the Gunners' opening goal from the penalty spot and later curled a shot past Hugo Lloris in the second half, the Gunners' fourth goal; Lucas Torreira's first goal for the club was Lucas Torreira's first goal. Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on goal difference, despite the fact that the victory was on goal difference.

In the club's 4–2 victory over Valencia on May 9, Aubameyang scored his first Arsenal hat-trick. Alexandre Lacazette scored second goal in Aubameyang, giving the Gunners' second goal. Arsenal reached the Europa League final thanks to Aubameyang's hat-trick, the club's second European final in 13 years. In the semi-finals of a European competition, he became the first Arsenal player to score a hat-trick.

In a 3–1 away victory at Burnley, Aubameyang ended the season with two goals, meaning he and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané each received the Premier League Golden Boot trophy. In Arsenal's 4–1 loss to Chelsea in the Europa League, he played the full 90 minutes, but his presence was ineffective as a result. Arsenal lost out on Champions League qualifying due to the result.

Aubameyang's and Arsenal's first goal of the season was scored in their 1–0 opening match victory over Newcastle United on August 11, with the striker describing it as "a moment of genius." In Arsenal's next game, a 2–1 victory over Burnley defeated Aubameyang's first home goal of the season. Following Dani Ceballos' assist, Aubameyang scored what turned out to be the winning goal. Arsenal defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 3–0 away from home on matchday 1, with Aubameyang scoring his first European goal of the season on September 19th against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

Aubameyang's five goals in September, including equalizers against Tottenham and Manchester United and the winner over Aston Villa, saw him named Premier League Player of the Month, defeating Liverpool's Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez to the award, beating Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tottenham's Son Heung-min and Manchester City duo Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez. Unai Emery, the Arsenal head coach, announced that Aubameyang would take over as the new Arsenal captain after Granit Xhaka was booted by the Arsenal supporters during their Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Friday.

Following Emery's dismissal, Aubameyang's goal in Arsenal's eventual 2–2 draw with Norwich City in interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg's first game in charge. Since VAR discovered encroachment in the penalty area, Aubameyang's first goal (a penalty) had to be retaken. Goalkeeper Tim Krul denied Aubameyang's first attempt, but his second attempt (the same side as his previous attempt) was converting.

Aubameyang scored in Arsenal's 1–1 draw with Crystal Palace on January 11, but he was later sent off for a late challenge on Palace midfielder Max Meyer. Referee Paul Tierney's tackle was initially given a yellow card, but the Gunners' first-ever red card was later released, meaning that the striker will miss Arsenal's next three games against Sheffield United, Chelsea, and Bournemouth's FA Cup tie against Bournemouth.

Arsenal's Europa League second leg match against Olympiacos on February 27th, with the aggregate score tied at 1–1, Aubameyang's scissor kick goal in extra time allowed his team to equalize the match and tie the tie on aggregate. However, Aubameyang missed an open shot from five yards out in the last seconds of the match that would have seen his team through, following a 119th-minute goal by Olympiacos that meant Arsenal would be out of the tournament. Following Arsenal's demise, Aubameyang apologised for and moaned over his absence, saying, "I feel very bad." It does happen, but I'm not sure how I missed out on this opportunity. I was ill, I had some cramps, but that is not an excuse."

Aubameyang did not score or assist in the first three Premier League games after the resuming of the COVID-19 pandemic, but eventually scored a brace against Norwich City in a 4–0 victory on July 1. Aubameyang's first goal was his 50th in the Premier League, making him the quickest player to reach 50 goals for the club in the Premier League, with four games less than all-time club goalscorer Thierry Henry, and Mohamed Salah. Aubameyang was also responsible for the Gunners' second goal, which was also scored by Granit Xhaka. He finished the season with 22 league goals, one behind Jamie Vardy, the Golden Boot winner, and tied for second place with Danny Ings.

Arsenal defeated Manchester City 2-0 in their FA Cup semi-final against defending champions Manchester City on July 18th, propelling them to the final. Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2–1 and Aubameyang lifted his first trophy with the club on August 1st, becoming the first African to win the FA Cup as a captain.

In a shoot-out victory over Liverpool in the Community Shield on August 29, Aubameyang scored a goal in normal time and the fifth and winning penalty. He scored in the first league game of the new season, defeating Fulham 3–0. Aubameyang signed a new three-year deal with Arsenal on September 15th. Arsenal defeated Manchester United 1–0 away to win by 1–0, giving them their first Premier League victory since 2006.

Arsenal defeated Newcastle United 3–0 on January 18, 2021, with Aubameyang scoring two goals. However, he did not participate in the club's next three games in order to tend to his injured mother. Aubameyang scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–2 victory over Leeds United on February 14th. He has played in 200 consecutive games in Europe's top five leagues. He scored two goals against Benfica in a 3–2 victory on Saturday, securing a spot in the Europa League round of 16. Aubameyang was left out of the starting line up against Tottenham in the North London Derby on March 14th, owing to the manager's discipline reasons.

Aubameyang was suspended from Arsenal's squad match against Southampton on matchday 16 of the 2021-22 season, citing disciplinary reasons for the match. Aubameyang was stripped of captaincy three days later. Arsenal revealed Aubameyang's departure from the club by mutual agreement on February 1, 2022.

Barcelona and Aubameyang have reached an understanding on February 2nd, 2022, which is the club's 22nd club member. Aubameyang has been working as a contractor until June 2025, with the possibility of resigning on June 30, 2023. The agreement also included a buyout provision of €100 million (£83.4 million). Aubameyang made his Barcelona debut on February 6, 2022, leading as a replacement in a 4–2 victory over Atlético Madrid. In a 4–1 away victory over Valencia in a man of the match appearance, he scored his first competitive goals in his fourth match for Barcelona, scoring a hat-trick in his fourth game for Barcelona on February 20. In his first El Clásico victory over Barcelona, Aubameyang scored a brace and supported Ferran Torres on 20 March 2022.

Chelsea announced the signing of Aubameyang to the club on a two-year deal on September 2nd. The fee was €12 million (£10.3 million), according to Barcelona. After being named a starter in a 1–0 Champions League loss to Dinamo Zagreb, Aubameyang made his Chelsea debut on September 6th. In a 2-1 away win over Crystal Palace on October 1, he made his league debut for the club and scored his first goal.

International career

After a fruitful season with Dijon, Aubameyang was invited to play for Italy U19s, but he made his debut with the France under-21 team in February 2009 in a friendly match against Tunisia U21.

Aubameyang is also eligible to play for Spain because he has Spanish nationality. He chose Gabon because his father captained the team once, but he retained a close connection with Spain and expressed an interest in La Liga ahead of signing for FC Barcelona.

Aubameyang was selected for the Gabon national team on March 25, 2009, marking his debut for the team. He scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory over Morocco and then scored a goal each in friendly matches against Benin, Togo, Algeria, and Senegal.

Aubameyang was a key participant of the Gabon national team that reached the quarterfinals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations as co-hosts of the tournament. He scored three goals in total, finishing the tournament as one of the top scorers. In the quarter-finals against Mali, he set up the opening goal for his team and crossed the post on February 5, 2012, on February 5th. However, the match ended 1–1 after extra time, and Aubameyang had his penalty saved in the shootout to determine the match.

Aubameyang represented Gabon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in July 2012. He scored in Gabon's first-ever Olympic goal, as well as Gabon's first-ever Olympic goal, and Gabon's first-ever Olympic goal would be Gabon's first-ever Olympic goal, and Gabon's first-ever Olympic goal would be Gabon's first-ever Olympic goal, and Gabon's only goal of the tournament. They were disqualified in the group competition.

In Gabon's 4–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier over Niger, Aubameyang scored a hat-trick of penalty kicks on June 15, 2013. In the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifications, he scored a brace against Burkina Faso.

Gabon captained Gabon at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring the team's first goal of the tournament in their 2–0 victory over Burkina Faso on January 17, 2015. On March 25, he scored a brace against Mali. He is Gabon's top goalscorer. He turned down a call-up for a vital World Cup qualifier against the Ivory Coast, where they lost 3–0.

Aubameyang captained Gabon to a 3–0 victory at home against DR Congo on March 25, 2021, scoring the third goal to guarantee qualification to the African Cup of Nations will be staged in Cameroon. He had a fever and had to be hospitalized at the time, and had to be admitted to the hospital.

Aubameyang tested positive for COVID-19 before Gabon's first game in the African Cup of Nations on January 6th. After being diagnosed with heart lesions, Aubameyang pulled out of the tournament a few days later to have further medical examinations in England.

Aubameyang announced his retirement from international football on May 18th. He made 72 appearances for the Gabon national team, scoring 30 goals.

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