Renowned for his iconic smile, revered for his celebrations, and respected for his prolificacy, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang epitomises the mantra – tough times never last, only tough people do. Always smiling, through the good times and the bad, Auba consistently brings an essence of je ne sais quoi in all he does.
Having represented some of the biggest clubs across the world, including the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Marseille, and Barcelona, one would assume that Aubameyang’s career has been plain sailing. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Born in Laval, a town in Western France, he made the move to AC Milan’s youth academy in 2007, at the age of 17. But, despite spending three years at the club, he never made an appearance. Instead, he was sent on three consecutive loans across France, making his debut at Dijon in 2009, aged 19, ending the season with ten goals and two assists.
Aubameyang really put his name on the map at Saint-Étienne, after joining on loan in January 2011, ending the season with four goals and three assists. His performances prompted the club to sign him permanently in December 2011, and it was in the iconic green jersey that we saw Auba begin to flourish.
Bagging nineteen goals in the 12/13 season, Auba put the footballing world on notice, but as Bane once said, “No one cared who I was until I put on the mask.” As the goals flowed, the forward started to get more expressive with his celebrations, rocking a Spiderman mask for the first time after scoring against Rennes.
That wasn’t the last time we saw the mask coming out either; throughout his career, we’ve seen him rock a Batman mask, with Reus deputising as Robin, and a Black Panther mask for Arsenal. But Auba didn’t always need to accessorise, often opting to resort to his signature backflips.
However, not everyone enjoyed the celebrations, with Toni Kroos criticising his behaviour as improper for a “good role model.” Aubameyang wasn’t shy in his response, “I needed a mask that represents me. It’s Black Panther, and in Gabon, we call the national team the Panther of Gabon, so it represents me.” Revealing a greater meaning behind what many would assume to be a light-hearted decision.
Unafraid to express himself through his celebrations, Auba didn’t just stop there. Many will be familiar with his signature mohawk, and the various iterations throughout the years – including a touching tribute to his grandmother, with the name ‘Marina’ bleached into the side. However, we’re also eager not to forget his ‘Travis Scott’ phase, undoubtedly influenced by lockdown, with barbers unavailable.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Aubameyang opted to represent Gabon, and has since become the nation’s all-time top-goalscorer with thirty-nine goals. Most recently, he put the nation on his back, bagging four goals in a crucial World Cup Qualifying match against Gambia. Despite getting a red card and missing the next match, his heroics were enough for second, guiding his side into the sole play-off spot.
Throughout the highs and lows, Aubameyang is always smiling, and we salute his continual commitment to expressing himself authentically. Now 36, he remains a key figure in the Marseille dressing room, showing he’s far from finished whenever he touches the pitch, racking up six goal involvements in just six starts.
Merci Auba
