“I want to become an Arsenal legend.”
So said the former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as he signed a contract extension in 2020 at the club where he was already a fan favourite.
His first few seasons with the Gunners had been euphoric.
A Golden Boot in his first full season, the quickest player to reach 50 goals for the club in the Premier League era and an FA Cup trophy, which he lifted as the club’s captain.
“I dream of being one of them,” he explained as he signed the new three-year contract. “Amongst the best, and staying in the hearts of the fans forever.”
Alas, it was not to be.
Three years later Aubameyang would already have passed out of Arsenal folklore, with his contract never completed.
His journey to Arsenal had been a tumultuous one to say the least.
The Gabon captain had been inspired by his father, who had also starred internationally and picked up over 400 senior appearances for French clubs including Le Havre and Nice.
When his father became a youth scout for AC Milan, it was no surprise that the young Aubameyang then took the decision to join the Italian side’s youth academy himself in 2007.
But he would never make a senior appearance for the Serie A side – instead, three loan spells took him to Dijon, Lille and Monaco where he honed his trade.
It was not until he left AC Milan permanently though that the goals finally began to flow for him.
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He had been on loan this time to Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne and they made his loan permanent before long.
Until 2013, he stayed at the club and amassed an impressive 41 goals in his 97 appearances.
He helped the side to a French League Cup in 2013 too – a diamond in the rough, one might have called him.
And for this diamond in the rough, it seemed only diamond boots would be enough; he stunned the football world in 2012 when he was seen warming up for a match against Lyon adorned in a rather blingy set of €3,000 football boots.
It must have been a strange contrast then for Aubameyang to remember that he had been playing a friendly for Gabon in a park in Newcastle just six months before – a far cry from the glamour of Monaco and diamond boots.
Eventually, his success in France paid dividends as he was duly recruited by Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth €13m (they had not been the only suitors either).
He spent almost five seasons in the Bundesliga, first under coach Jurgen Klopp and then his successor Thomas Tuchel.
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It was the latter who would really be able to get the best out of Aubameyang – and the pair would win three trophies together during their overlapping time at the club.
He scored 39 goals in 49 appearances in Tuchel’s first season and was awarded both the African and Bundesliga Player of the Year.
“It was Thomas Tuchel’s first season as coach and I was played centrally always,” he stated as he accepted the awards. “The whole team had a great year, one that I enjoyed a lot.
“Our style has changed a bit, from trying to score within five seconds to a more calm, and in some regard more educated style of play. We try to find the right moment – and then we explode.”
When things looked like they could scarcely get better, he went and upped his return the next season, scoring 40 in 46 games.
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It was then that Arsenal came calling – and Aubameyang agreed, moving for a club-record £56m in January 2018.
Most of his four seasons at the club were dream-like – as he soon became a trophy-winning, goal-scoring captain.
His 92 goals in 163 appearances certainly set him up with the potential of going down as a club legend.
But in the end, Aubameyang’s love story with Arsenal had a bitter ending.
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Two disciplinary issues in which Aubameyang had reportedly arrived late for duty ultimately saw him stripped of his captaincy.
“Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United,” a club statement read.
“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed.
“We are fully focused on tomorrow’s match.”
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Barcelona was his next destination, even if it was one that would not stick for very long indeed.
“My last few months at Arsenal were complicated, that’s football sometimes,” he said as he was announced as a Barca player. “For my part, I never wanted to do anything wrong.
“My problem was only with Arteta. I can’t say much more, I wasn’t happy. It was just him and he made that decision. He wasn’t happy, I can’t tell you more. He wasn’t very happy; I was very calm.”
Arsenal fans were left to wonder if they may have made a mistake when Aubameyang went on to break a remarkable record in his first few games in Spain, scoring five goals in his first six La Liga games.
Only seven other players had done so for Barcelona – and one of those was none other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
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The others were Sandor Kocsis, Johan Cruyff, Hans Krankl, Ronald Koeman, Romario and Ronaldo – so Aubameyang was clearly in good company.
His spell in Spain lasted just months in the end – and his Premier League return came. Not to Arsenal though, but to their London rivals Chelsea in a move that must have stung Gunners fans.
Still, Aubameyang did not find a permanent home with the Blues and Graham Potter leaving him out of their Champions League squad in Feburary 2023 seemed like the beginning of the end.
Since July 2024, he has found a new home in Saudi Pro League club Al Qadsiah – having spent a year playing for Marseille before that.
Regardless of it all, the Gabonese striker -forged through hard work and dedication – was truly exceptional when he was at his best.
Not quite an Arsenal legend after all then – but while diamonds may be forever, footballing stardom so rarely is.
