Born in France, Aubameyang chose to represent Gabon at international level, making his senior debut in 2009 at the age of 19; with 35 goals, he is the nation'sall-time top scorer. He represented Gabon at fourAfrica Cup of Nations tournaments and the2012 Summer Olympics. In 2015, he was namedAfrican Footballer of the Year; the first Gabonese and second European-born player to win the award.[8]
"My role model?Ronaldo... 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.[9]
Aubameyang joinedAC Milan's youth academy in January 2007. In August, he was part of the squad that finished fourth in theinaugural Champions Youth Cup held inMalaysia, 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.[10]
For the2008–09 season, Aubameyang was loaned out toDijon ofLigue 2 in France to gain first-team experience.[11] His performances there led him to appear inWorld Soccer's Talent Scout section in the summer of 2009.[12] He finished with a total of ten goals and two assists in all competitions, including two goals in aCoupe de France tie againstSelongey.[13]
On 24 June 2009, it was announcedLigue 1 clubLille had decided to sign Aubameyang on loan.[14] 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]
For the2010–11 season, Aubameyang was loaned for the season toMonaco. On 21 August 2010, he scored his first goal for Monaco in an away match againstLens, then scored again on 29 August at home toAuxerre, where Monaco won 2–0.[15] In January 2011, after six months with the club, Aubameyang was loaned toSaint-Étienne until the end of the2010–11 season, finishing the season with four goals and three assists. In July 2011, the loan was extended for the entire2011–12 season.[citation needed]
On 22 December 2011, Aubameyang signed with Saint-Étienne on a permanent deal. He was quickly added to the starting lineup and was given the number 7 jersey. In February 2012, he scored his firsthat-trick againstLorient. 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'sOlivier Giroud with 21, PSG'sNenê with 21 too and Lille'sEden Hazard with 20.
On 20 April 2013, Aubameyang was in the starting line-up for Saint-Étienne in the2013 Coupe de la Ligue Final.Les Verts won the match 1–0 with a goal fromBrandão 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 the2012–13 season, Aubameyang ended second in the competition'stop-goalscorers list, scoring 19 goals and finishing behind onlyZlatan Ibrahimović. From his 37 appearances, he also provided eightassists. 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.[16]
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 theDFL-Supercup.[20] After scoring the goal, he celebrated by putting on aSpider-Man mask.[20] In Dortmund's next match, a 4–1 win overStuttgarter Kickers in the first round of theDFB-Pokal, Aubameyang scored two second-half goals and provided the assist forAdrián Ramos' goal.[21] On 13 September, Aubameyang scored his firstBundesliga goal of the season, netting Dortmund's final goal of their 3–1 win overSC Freiburg.[22] Three days later, Aubameyang scored Dortmund's second goal in a 2–0 win over future clubArsenal in the first group match of theChampions League.[23]
On 31 July 2015, Aubameyang signed a new contract to last until 2020, saying, "Every part of me wants to be here and I have never wanted to leave."[25] On 20 August, he scored a brace as Dortmund came from 0–3 down to win 3–4 atOdds BK in the first leg of their Europa Leagueplay-off.[26] By scoring in Dortmund's 1–1 draw with1899 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.[27] He later extended this record to eight matches, scoring in the team's next two fixtures againstDarmstadt 98 and Bayern Munich, before failing to score for the first time in theBundesliga season in a 2–0 win atMainz 05.[28]
On 22 October, Aubameyang scored a hat-trick in aUEFA Europa League match againstGabala of Azerbaijan.[29] Three days later, he scored another hat-trick in a 5–1 defeat of Augsburg at theWestfalenstadion.[30] On 8 November, Aubameyang scored the winning goal for Dortmund in a 3–2Revierderby victory over rivalsSchalke 04.[31] At the halfway stage of the Bundesliga season, Aubameyang was the league's top scorer with 18 goals from 17 appearances.[32]
On 30 January 2016, Aubameyang scored his 19th and 20th league goals of the season to give Dortmund a 2–0 home victory overIngolstadt 04.[33] Aubameyang reached 30 goals in all competitions in a 3–1 victory overVfB Stuttgart in the quarter-final of the2015–16 DFB-Pokal. In addition to scoring himself, he assisted the side's other two goals scored by Marco Reus andHenrikh Mkhitaryan.[34] On 10 March 2016, Aubameyang scored for Borussia in their 3–0 win overTottenham Hotspur in theUEFA Europa League Round of 16 first-leg. A week later, he scored both goals in the 2–1 second-leg victory atWhite Hart Lane, taking him to 35 goals for the season.[35] 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 behindRobert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich.[36]
Aubameyang training with Borussia Dortmund in 2017
Aubameyang began his2016–17 season in the Bundesliga with a double against Mainz 05 on 27 August in a 2–1 victory, while also scoring twice againstVfL Wolfsburg on 20 September. Aubameyang scored three days later against recently promoted Freiburg, bringing his season total to five, into a tie atop the scoring charts with Lewandowski early in the season. Following an injury toMarcel 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 Ingolstadt.[37]
Aubameyang also got off to an excellent start in Dortmund'sChampions League group stage matches, scoring in each of their first leg matches as Dortmund were joint top of their group withReal Madrid. However, Aubameyang was left out of the squad byThomas Tuchel for their return leg againstSporting CP on 2 November due to an "internal issue".[38] It turned out that he received a one-game suspension for breaking club rules, by traveling toMilan instead of staying in Dortmund.[39] Expected to return that weekend atHamburger SV, Aubameyang exploded with a four-goal performance in a 5–2 victory, their first in five tries in the Bundesliga, while also assistingOusmane Dembélé for Dortmund's final goal.[40]
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.[41] On 7 December, Aubameyang scored Borussia's first goal in a 2–2 comeback draw with Real Madrid at theSantiago Bernabéu to secure qualification to the next stage as group winners.[42] On 16 December, Aubameyang scored his 100th goal for Borussia Dortmund in a 2–2 draw away to 1899 Hoffenheim.[43]
On 4 March 2017, Aubameyang passed 20 Bundesliga goals for the second consecutive season with two goals in a 6–2 defeat of Bayer Leverkusen.[44] Four days later, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win overBenfica to put Dortmund into thequarter-finals of the Champions League.[45] On 20 May, Aubameyang scored twice in Borussia's final-day defeat ofWerder Bremen to end the season as theBundesliga's top scorer with 31 goals.[46] In thefinal of the2016–17 DFB-Pokal on 27 May 2017, he scored the winning goal, a penalty, as Dortmund beatEintracht Frankfurt 2–1.[47]
Aubameyang (left) celebrating a goal in Arsène Wenger's last home game as Arsenal manager, 2018
On 3 February, Aubameyang made his debut for Arsenal againstEverton in the Premier League in a 5–1 home victory, scoring the team's fourth goal, chipping the ball over a groundedJordan Pickford.[49] After missing the Europa League matches againstÖstersunds for the Gunners due to beingcup-tied, Aubameyang registered his first away goal for the club in the team's 2–1 away defeat toBrighton & Hove Albion.[50] Aubameyang registered his first assist for the team, setting up Henrikh Mkhitaryan's goal in a 3–0 win overWatford in which he also scored.[51]
Aubameyang scored twice in a 3–0 home win againstStoke City, making him the first player to score five times in his first six games for the club.[52][53][non-primary source needed] He scored twice in managerArsène Wenger's final home game for the club, opening and closing the scoring, whilst also assistingAlex Iwobi's goal, in a 5–0 win overBurnley.[54] He ended the season with ten goals and four assists in thirteen Premier League games and was the last goalscorer for Arsenal under Arsène Wenger.[55]
Aubameyang scored his first goal of the following season in a 3–2 away win overCardiff City on 2 September 2018. His 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.[56] Aubameyang made his European debut for Arsenal, in the 4–2 home win overVorskla Poltava, scoring two goals while playing for 57 minutes.[57] By October 2018, 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).[58]
Aubameyang became the first player to reach 10 goals in the Premier League that season, following a brace in Arsenal's 4–2 victory overTottenham Hotspur in theNorth London derby on 2 December. He also assisted a goal as Arsenal rose above Tottenham in the Premier League on goal difference.[59] He scored his first Arsenal hat-trick in a 4–2 win overValencia on 9 May 2019 as the club reached theEuropa League final.[60] He was the first Arsenal player to score a hat-trick in the semi-finals of a European competition.[61]
Aubameyang finished the season with two goals in a 3–1 away win at Burnley, meaning he ended the season sharing thePremier League Golden Boot title with Liverpool'sMohamed Salah andSadio Mané, on 22 goals.[62] He played the full 90 minutes in Arsenal's 4–1 defeat toChelsea in the Europa League, failing to make a significant impact as the result meant Arsenal missed out on Champions League qualification.[63]
On 11 August 2019, Aubameyang scored his and Arsenal's first goal of the season in their 1–0 opening match victory overNewcastle United atSt James' Park, in which he demonstrated perfect technique to cushion a cross fromAinsley Maitland-Niles, to slot the ball pastMartin Dúbravka, withJosé Mourinho hailing the strike as "a moment of genius".[64][65] Aubameyang scored his first home goal of the campaign in Arsenal's next game, a 2–1 win over Burnley on 17 August.[66] He scored his first European goal of the season on 19 September againstEintracht Frankfurt in theEuropa League, as Arsenal won 3–0 away from home on matchday 1.[67]
On 1 December, following the dismissal of Emery, Aubameyang scored both goals in Arsenal's 2–2 draw withNorwich City under interim head coachFreddie Ljungberg. Aubameyang's first goal (a penalty) had to be retaken, afterVAR discovered there to be encroachment in the penalty area. Aubameyang's first effort was kept out by goalkeeperTim Krul, however, his second effort (the same side as his previous attempt), was successfully converted.[71]
Aubameyang scored in Arsenal's 1–1 draw with Crystal Palace on 11 January 2020, but was also sent off for a late challenge on Palace midfielderMax Meyer. Aubameyang was originally given a yellow card for the tackle by refereePaul Tierney, however, the card was eventually upgraded to a red card, by theVAR, resulting in Aubameyang's first-ever red card for the Gunners and would mean that the striker would miss Arsenal's next three matches againstSheffield United,Chelsea, and Arsenal'sFA Cup tie againstBournemouth.[72]
On 27 February, in Arsenal's Europa League second leg round of 32 match againstOlympiacos 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.[73] 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."[74]
Following the resumption of the league in the wake of theCOVID-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 goalscorerThierry Henry, and also became the sixth fastest to 50 in the Premier League, behindAndy Cole,Alan Shearer,Ruud van Nistelrooy,Fernando Torres and Mohamed Salah.[75] Aubameyang also assisted the Gunners' second goal, which was scored by Granit Xhaka.[76] He ended the season with 22 league goals, one behindJamie Vardy, the winner of theGolden Boot, and tied withDanny Ings for second place.[77]
On 18 July, in their FA Cup semi-final against defending championsManchester City, Aubameyang scored both goals in a 2–0 win for Arsenal, sending them to thefinal.[78] On 1 August, he converted a penalty and scored the winner in the final, as Arsenal defeatedChelsea 2–1 and Aubameyang lifted his first trophy with the club, becoming the first African to win the FA Cup as a captain.[79][80]
On 29 August 2020, Aubameyang scored a goal in normal time and the fifth and winning penalty in ashoot-out win againstLiverpool in theCommunity Shield, after the game ended 1–1.[81] On 12 September, he scored in the first league game of the new season the final goal of a 3–0 win away toFulham.[82] On 15 September, Aubameyang signed a new three-year contract with Arsenal.[83] On 1 November, he scored a penalty in a 1–0 away win against Manchester United, to grant Arsenal their first Premier League win atOld Trafford since 2006.[84]
Aubameyang scored two goals for Arsenal in their 3–0 victory overNewcastle United on 18 January 2021.[85] However, he did not play in the club's next three matches, in order to tend to his ill mother.[86] On 14 February, Aubameyang scored his firstPremier League hat-trick in a 4–2 win overLeeds United. This took him to 200 career goals acrossEurope's top five leagues.[87] On 25 February, he scored two goals against Benfica in a 3–2 win to secure a place in theEuropa League round of 16.[88] On 14 March, Aubameyang was left out of the starting lineup in the North London Derby against Tottenham, the manager citing disciplinary reasons.
On matchday 16 of the 2021–22 season, Aubameyang was omitted from the squad for Arsenal's match against Southampton, with managerMikel Arteta yet again citing disciplinary reasons.[89] Three days later, Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy.[90] On 1 February 2022, Arsenal announced Aubameyang's departure from the club by mutual consent.[91]
On 2 February 2022, 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 2023.[92] Aubameyang made his debut for Barcelona on 6 February 2022, coming on as a substitute in a 4–2 win overAtlético Madrid.[93] 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 theMestalla overValencia in a man-of-the-match performance.[94][95] On 20 March, Aubameyang scored a brace and assistedFerran Torres in his onlyEl Clásico helping Barcelona to a 4–0 away victory against the league leaders.[96]
On 14 May 2023, Barcelona beatEspanyol in a 4–2 win to secure the2022–23 La Liga title, meaning Aubameyang claimed the first league title in his career, despite playing just nine minutes for Barcelona before joiningChelsea in the summer of 2022.[97]
On 2 September 2022, Chelsea announced the signing of Aubameyang to join the club on a two-year contract.[98] Barcelona confirmed the fee was €12 million (£10.3 million).[99] Aubameyang made his Chelsea debut on 6 September, after being named a starter in a 1–0Champions League defeat toDinamo Zagreb.[100] On 1 October, he made his league debut for the club and scored his first goal in a 2–1 away win againstCrystal Palace.[101]
In the Champions League group stage, he scored two goals in two matches against his former club AC Milan.[102] However, he was later excluded from the 25-man Champions League squad for the knockout stages by coachGraham Potter.[103]
On 21 July 2023, Aubameyang left Chelsea and signed a three-year deal withMarseille.[104][105] On 12 August, he made his debut coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute in a 2–1 win againstReims.[106] Three days later, he scored a brace againstPanathinaikos in theChampions 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.[107]
In December 2023, Aubameyang scored four goals and provided four assists, leading Marseille to a five-match unbeaten run, earning him theLigue 1 Player of the Month award.[108][109] On 22 February, Aubameyang became the top goal scorer in the history of the UEFA Europa League with 31 goals after scoring againstShakhtar Donetsk in a 3–1 victory, surpassingRadamel Falcao, with whom he was level at 30 goals.[110]
On 18 July 2024, newly promotedSaudi Pro League clubAl-Qadsiah confirmed the signing of Aubameyang on a two-year contract.[111] He left the club a year later on 17 July 2025, after spending a single season at the club and notably scoring 17 league goals.[112]
Aubameyang was invited to play forItaly U19s after a good season with Dijon, but he debuted for theFrance under-21 team in February 2009 in a friendly match againstTunisia U21.[115]
Aubameyang was also eligible to play forSpain because he hasSpanish nationality. He decided to represent Gabon because his father once captained the team, but he maintains a close relationship with Spain and expressed a desire to play in La Liga prior to signing forFC Barcelona.[116][117]
On 25 March 2009, Aubameyang was selected for theGabon national team[118] and made his debut for the squad. He scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory overMorocco, then scored a goal each in friendly matches againstBenin,Togo,Algeria andSenegal.[119]
Aubameyang was a key member of the Gabon national side that reached the quarter-finals of the2012 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 againstMali. However, the match ended 1–1 afterextra time and Aubameyang had his penalty saved in theshootout to decide the game.[120]
In July 2012, Aubameyang representedGabon at the2012 Summer Olympics in London. He scored in the team's opening game againstSwitzerland, 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.[121]
Aubameyangcaptained Gabon at the2015 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring the team's opening goal of the tournament in their 2–0 win over Burkina Faso on 17 January 2015.[122] He rejected a callup for a pivotal World Cup qualifier at home to theIvory Coast in August 2017, and they lost 3–0.[123]
On 25 March 2021, Aubameyang captained Gabon to a 3–0 win at home toDR Congo, scoring the third goal to ensure qualification to theAfrican Cup of Nations to be staged in Cameroon.[124] At that time, he contractedmalaria, in which he got a fever and had to be hospitalized.[125]
Aubameyang tested positive forCOVID-19 before Gabon's first game in theAfrican Cup of Nations.[126] He withdrew from the tournament a few days later to undergo further medical examinations in England after being diagnosed with heart lesions.[127]
On 18 May 2022, Aubameyang announced his retirement from international football.[128] He made a total of 72 appearances for the Gabon national team and scored 30 goals.[129] 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 PresidentAli Bongo Ondimba.[130]
Aubameyang was born inLaval, Mayenne, France.[135] He is the son of former Gabonese international footballerPierre Aubameyang and younger half-brother ofCatilina andWilly, who have both played for Milan's youth teams.[136] His mother is Spanish.[137]He is married to Alysha Behague, the couple have two sons, Curtys and Pierre.[138][139] In August 2022, Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw during a violent robbery of his home inBarcelona.[140]
He is multilingual, speaking French, English, Spanish, Italian, and German.[141]
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