From "boy with the square feet" to a world beater with Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and Barcelona, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had quite the journey back to France with Olympique de Marseille.
Aubameyang has joined Marseille after he and Chelsea agreed to release him from an ill-fated spell at Stamford Bridge, but he remains one of the most fearsome strikers in the game, and Phocéens fans are understandably excited.
A prolific scorer who has won titles in France, Germany, England and Spain, Aubameyang looks set to replace Alexis Sanchez in the OM attack, just as he did at Arsenal in 2018. Ligue1.com takes a closer look…
Football in the genes
Aubameyang comes from a footballing family. Father Pierre Aubameyang captained Gabon before later working as a scout for AC Milan, and the younger Pierre-Emerick soon followed elder brothers Catalina and Willy in joining the Serie A side's youth academy.
But things didn't work out in Milan. "'The boy with square feet' they called him," revealed Aubameyang's former agent, Yvan Le Mee, and loan spells back in France with Dijon FCO, LOSC and AS Monaco followed.
Gabon win international tug-of war
Aubameyang made good of his chance in France, and after a 10-goal season with Dijon in 2009, Italy tried to call him up at under-19 level, but midway through the following campaign the Laval-born attacker - at this point more winger than striker - made his first and only appearance with France's under-21s instead.
Also eligible to represent Spain through his mother, Aubameyang committed to Gabon in March 2009, has since racked up 30 goals in 73 caps with the les Panthères, and is their captain as well as all-time top scorer.
AS Saint-Étienne moved for Aubameyang in January 2011, initially on loan, before making his deal permanent the following winter. The following season lifted the Coue de la Ligue with les Verts, while only Paris Saint-Germain superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic outscored him in Ligue 1 Uber Eats. Borussia Dortmund soon came knocking.
Aubameyang hit his prime in the Bundesliga, becoming a full-time striker after Robert Lewandowski's move to Bayern Munich in 2014. He won two Supercups and a DFB Cup and pipped Lewandowski to the top scorer's canon in 2017 on the way to 141 goals in 213 games for the club.
Watch: Aubameyang's best goals from the 2012/13 season
By this time a bona fide star, Arsenal broke their transfer record to bring him to the Emirates in January 2018. Ten goals and four assists from 13 Premier League games later and the last goalscorer under Arsène Wenger looked like money well spent.
Across his four seasons in North London, Aubameyang was named captain, raced to 50 goals four games quicker than Thierry Henry had, and lifted the FA Cup in 2020. But having been a favourite under Wenger and Unai Emery, he fell out with Mikel Arteta and left for Barcelona on a free in January 2022.
Square-footed to jet-heeled
Aubameyang has endured a frustrating autumn to his career. He ended his lone half-season at Barca as their 13-goal top scorer, but when Lewandowski followed him to Camp Nou, he was allowed to leave to Chelsea. Aubameyang's reunion with former Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel last less than an hour of football before Tuchel was sacked, though, and he has been largely restricted to the bench.
But from being dismissed by Milan for being square-footed, Aubameyang has long since proved he is more jet-heeled, quite literally racing to records and titles around European football, and Marseille fans will be relishing the chance to see him in action at their Orange Vélodrome.
Photo credit: Olympique de Marseille
