It was June 18th, 1989, in the small town of Laval, France that Pierre-Emerick Francois Aubameyang came into the world. He is the third born son of Pierre Francois & Margarita Crespo.
Whilst Pierre was born in France, neither of his parents were natives. Pierre Sr. was a retired Gabonese Footballer that had moved to Europe to operate as a scout for Italian Giants AC Milan. His mother was a fashion designer from Spain that had travelled to France to open a clothing boutique.
Soon after his birth the family made the move from Western France to the Italian city of Milan at the request of his fathers employers. It was within the streets Milan that young Pierre spend most of his childhood, often playing with his older brothers of whom would also play at a relatively high
level.
I Rosonerri; Aubameyang’s Beginning
Football was a constant theme in Aubameyang’s life due to the profession of this Father. Along with his brothers, Pierre was placed in AC Milan’s academy from a young age.
Although their father’s role undoubtably played a pivotal part in securing their place, all three of the Aubameyang children were clearly special talents.
Throughout his development within the Settore Giovanile dell’Associazione Calcio Milan there was one attribute that often made him stand out; speed!
Pierre’s raw pace was often devastating for opposing teams, and his ability
to cover ground at twice the speed of the majority of his peer’s was jaw-dropping. He was even labelled as “the fastest player I have ever seen” by ex-Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier.
Over the course of a decade Aubameyang honed his craft with Milan while awaiting an opportunity to showcase his talent on the big stage. However, Milan opted to send the young Gabonese striker out on multiple loan’s which included spells at Dijon, Lille and Monaco.
But most notability it was his time at French heavyweights Saint-Etienne in 2011 that made the difference.
Les Verts Love Affair
“I never played a senior game for Milan and that’s when the next tough spell of my career began. I did OK at Dijon but then I had some really difficult times on loan at Lille and Monaco, because I wasn’t playing, so that was really hard for me. But then I joined Saint-Etienne and everything changed.”
Aubameyang spent a full season on-loan with A.S.S.E. and netted only two goals in 14 games, but his potential was clear to see.
Saint-Etienne went on to secure the permanent signing of Pierre at the closing of the 2011/2012 campaign. Aubameyang left his Italian boyhood club having never been given the opportunity to start a single senior game.
During the season of 2012/2013 he was becoming more established. His raw talent was always evident, but this was now complemented by a solid base of refined fundamentals.
He would bang an impressive 35-goals in all competitions, finishing only second to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the race for the league’s top scorer.
It wasn’t only the ability of Aubameyang that caught the eye, either, as he
often wore extravagant and expensive clothing. During a league clash with Lyon, Pierre wore crystal encrusted boots worth over £2500.
But flash was backed up by actions on the pitch. Saint-Etienne would go on to collect the Coupe de la Ligue during that season, with Aubameyang at the forefront of their success. He would also Collect the Ligue 1 African player of the year award, in what was widely considered his breakout season.
Romp In The Ruhr; Aubameyang Stardom
After an impressive stent in France, Aubameyang sought to move on in order to gain more exposure. He made his move to Borussia Dortmund on July 4th, 2013, for a fee in the region of £11m.
This move would go down in the history books as it made him the first-ever Gabonese player to play professionally in Germany.
Aubameyang’s Dortmund career couldn’t have started in better fashion;
scoring a hat-trick on his full debut against FC Augsburg on August 10th.
Interestingly, Pierre was eligible to play for four national teams. Being born in France granted him citizenship, while spending most of his early life in Italy, and connections to Spain due to his mother’s nationality, made him eligible for three of the most prominent national sides in the world.
But Aubameyang opted follow in his fathers footsteps by devoting himself
to Gabon, whom his father once captained. Fast-forward to today, and he is considered to be the greatest-ever player. He holds the all-time goals record, as well as the captain’s armband.
“My father captained Gabon and although I spent my childhood in France, it’s like I was born in Gabon. He taught me so many things about this country that it became my culture. I could well have chosen to play for Spain or France – I even played in the France Under-21 team – but I knew in my heart that I wanted to emulate my father.”
Over the course of four seasons with Dortmund Aubameyang established himself as one of the most prolific strikers in Europe. Along the way he would pile-on individual and collective accolades. But the relationship
with the Dortmund hierarchy soured as the club claimed to be growing tired of his extravagant lifestyle.
A Prince Fit To Be King; Aubameyang & 14
On January 31st, 2018, Auba swapped Dortmund for North London, signing for Arsenal for £56m. The excitement was such that fans were actually tracking his flight from Flughafen Dortmund to London’s Luton airport.
“I’d always admired Arsenal because of the big history and players like Thierry Henry. He was always an example for strikers and because I am also fast and score goals, I always looked up to him. He’s the reason why I took the 14 shirt.
To be honest, when I arrived I actually wanted 7, but Mkhi had already taken it. So I thought, ‘Why not follow in the footsteps of a legend?’ I’m just really proud to wear the 14 shirt and I hope to honor it.”
Pierre hit the ground running for Arsenal, scoring on his league debut in a 5-1 win against Everton. He registered an impressive ten goals and three assists in just thirteen games in his first season for the Gunners. Auba was also the last goal scorer for Arsenal under the reign of club legend Arsène Wenger.
Under new leadership of ex-PSG boss Unai Emery, Arsenal’s form was patchy at best. But during this period of mediocrity Aubameyang was considered a savior.
Often scoring vital goals that would see the North London-side register many undeserving three-pint hauls, Pierre totaled 22-league goals during the 2018/2019 season. This resulted in him sharing the golden boot with Liverpool stars Sadio Mané & Mohamed Salah.
Despite Emery being sacked this past December, Aubameyang was was retained as club-captain by incoming boss Mikel Arteta.
When he was first given the honor, many questioned the decision due to the supposed attitude problems displayed while at Dortmund. His behavior off the pitch – often seen as attention seeking – did little to help his case. But Pierre has led in a different way.
His driving runs, increased level of work rate and a new steely determination has now instilled faith within the fanbase that he is the man to lead the club forward; if only for the short term.
On August 1st, Arsenal travelled to Wembley stadium for the FA Cup final, aiming to close the curtain on what had truly been a season to forget.
Widely considered the underdogs against an in-form Chelsea, Aubameyang had secured Arsenal’s place in the final by netting a brace only two weeks prior in an upset win over Manchester City.
To the surprise of many, Arsenal emerged victorious over Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in a tight affair which ended 2-1.
Pierre was very much the catalyst for the Gunners who retained the trophy for a record fourteenth time. Again, it was Aubameyang scoring twice, with his second goal in particular showing his level of class.
Aubameyang’s Legacy Is Written; But Where Will It Continue?
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now entering the final year of his contract, with concerns growing as to what his future holds.
There have undoubtably been positive signs that he will in fact remain
an Arsenal player, with the club seemingly willing to meet his demands. But what started as suspense in the fanbase has now grown to frustration.
Aubameyang has established himself as one of the words most prolific strikers, and to replace his level of output is an almost impossible task.
I believe that the immediate future of Arsenal Football Club rests on the shoulders of this deal. As for what the future holds for the Gabonese sensation, we can only watch, wait and hope.