Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Club career

AC Milan

Aubameyang joined AC Milan's youth academy in January 2007. In August, he was part of the squad that finished fourth in the inaugural Champions Youth Cup held in Malaysia, 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.

For the 2008–09 season, Aubameyang was loaned out to Dijon of Ligue 2 in France to gain first-team experience. His performances there led him to appear in World Soccer's Talent Scout section in the summer of 2009. He finished with a total of ten goals and two assists in all competitions, including two goals in a Coupe de France tie against Selongey.

On 24 June 2009, it was announced Ligue 1 club Lille had decided to sign Aubameyang on loan. Relative to his previous season, however, Aubameyang did not perform as well, scoring just two goals in 14 appearances, four as a starter.

For the 2010–11 season, Aubameyang was loaned for the season to Monaco. On 21 August 2010, he scored his first goal for Monaco in an away match against Lens, then scored again on 29 August at home to Auxerre, where Monaco won 2–0. In January 2011, after six months with the club, Aubameyang was loaned to Saint-Étienne until the end of the 2010–11 season, finishing the season with four goals and three assists. In July 2011, the loan was extended for the entire 2011–12 season.

Saint-Étienne

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 first hat-trick against Lorient. 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's Olivier Giroud with 21, PSG's Nenê with 21 too and Lille's Eden Hazard with 20.

On 20 April 2013, Aubameyang was in the starting line-up for Saint-Étienne in the 2013 Coupe de la Ligue Final. Les Verts won the match 1–0 with a goal from Brandão to give Aubameyang his first major trophy as a professional footballer. He finished the season with 18 goals and seven assists in all competitions.

In the 2012–13 season, Aubameyang ended second in the competition's top-goalscorers list, scoring 19 goals and finishing behind only Zlatan Ibrahimović. From his 37 appearances, he also provided eight assists. 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.

Borussia Dortmund

On 4 July 2013, Aubameyang joined 2012–13 Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract. He made his competitive debut for his new club on 27 July 2013 against Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup, replacing Jakub Błaszczykowski for the last 18 minutes of Dortmund's 4–2 victory, assisting Dortmund's final goal, scored by Marco Reus. On 10 August, Aubameyang made his Bundesliga debut and scored a hat-trick against FC Augsburg, including a goal from his first shot in the league. In the process, Aubameyang also became the first Gabonese player to appear in the Bundesliga. On 27 November, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–1 win against Napoli in the group stage of the 2013–14 competition. He later took a penalty against 1860 Munich that propelled Dortmund into the next round of the 2013–14 DFB-Pokal, finishing the year with 13 league goals and 16 goals in all competitions.

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 the DFL-Supercup. After scoring the goal, he celebrated by putting on a Spider-Man mask. In Dortmund's next match, a 4–1 win over Stuttgarter Kickers in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, Aubameyang scored two second-half goals and provided the assist for Adrián Ramos' goal. On 13 September, Aubameyang scored his first Bundesliga goal of the season, netting Dortmund's final goal of their 3–1 win over SC Freiburg. Three days later, Aubameyang scored Dortmund's second goal in a 2–0 win over future club Arsenal in the first group match of the Champions League.

Aubameyang ended his second season in Dortmund with 25 goals from 46 appearances, including one in the 2015 DFB-Pokal Final, where Dortmund were defeated 3–1 by VfL Wolfsburg at the Olympiastadion.

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." On 20 August, he scored a brace as Dortmund came from 0–3 down to win 3–4 at Odds BK in the first leg of their Europa League play-off. By scoring in Dortmund's 1–1 draw with 1899 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. He later extended this record to eight matches, scoring in the team's next two fixtures against Darmstadt 98 and Bayern Munich, before failing to score for the first time in the Bundesliga season in a 2–0 win at Mainz 05.

Arsenal

On 31 January 2018, Aubameyang signed for Premier League club, Arsenal, for a then-club-record fee, reported to be £56 million.

On 3 February, Aubameyang made his debut for Arsenal against Everton in the Premier League in a 5–1 home victory, scoring the team's fourth goal, chipping the ball over a grounded Jordan Pickford. After missing the Europa League matches against Östersunds for the Gunners due to being cup-tied, Aubameyang registered his first away goal for the club in the team's 2–1 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. Aubameyang registered his first assist for the team, setting up Henrikh Mkhitaryan's goal in a 3–0 win over Watford in which he also scored.

Aubameyang scored twice in a 3–0 home win against Stoke City, making him the first player to score five times in his first six games for the club. He scored twice in manager Arsène Wenger's final home game for the club, opening and closing the scoring, whilst also assisting Alex Iwobi's goal, in a 5–0 win over Burnley. 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.

Aubameyang scored his first goal of the following season in a 3–2 away win over Cardiff 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. Aubameyang made his European debut for Arsenal, in the 4–2 home win over Vorskla Poltava, scoring two goals while playing for 57 minutes. 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).

Aubameyang became the first player to reach 10 goals in the Premier League that season, following a brace in Arsenal's 4–2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on 2 December. He also assisted a goal as Arsenal rose above Tottenham in the Premier League on goal difference. He scored his first Arsenal hat-trick in a 4–2 win over Valencia on 9 May 2019 as the club reached the Europa League final. He was the first Arsenal player to score a hat-trick in the semi-finals of a European competition.

Barcelona

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. Aubameyang made his debut for Barcelona on 6 February 2022, coming on as a substitute in a 4–2 win over Atlético Madrid. 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 the Mestalla over Valencia in a man-of-the-match performance. On 20 March, Aubameyang scored a brace and assisted Ferran Torres in his only El Clásico helping Barcelona to a 4–0 away victory against the league leaders.

On 14 May 2023, Barcelona beat Espanyol in a 4–2 win to secure the 2022–23 La Liga title, meaning Aubameyang claimed the first league title in his career, despite playing just nine minutes for Barcelona before joining Chelsea in the summer of 2022.

Chelsea

On 2 September 2022, Chelsea announced the signing of Aubameyang to join the club on a two-year contract. Barcelona confirmed the fee was €12 million (£10.3 million). Aubameyang made his Chelsea debut on 6 September, after being named a starter in a 1–0 Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb. On 1 October, he made his league debut for the club and scored his first goal in a 2–1 away win against Crystal Palace.

In the Champions League group stage, he scored two goals in two matches against his former club AC Milan. However, he was later excluded from the 25-man Champions League squad for the knockout stages by coach Graham Potter.

Marseille

On 21 July 2023, Aubameyang left Chelsea and signed a three-year deal with Marseille. On 12 August, he made his debut coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute in a 2–1 win against Reims. Three days later, he scored a brace against Panathinaikos in the Champions 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.

In December 2023, Aubameyang scored four goals and provided four assists, leading Marseille to a five-match unbeaten run, earning him the Ligue 1 Player of the Month award. On 22 February, Aubameyang became the top goal scorer in the history of the UEFA Europa League with 31 goals after scoring against Shakhtar Donetsk in a 3–1 victory, surpassing Radamel Falcao, with whom he was level at 30 goals.

Al-Qadsiah

On 18 July 2024, newly promoted Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah confirmed the signing of Aubameyang on a two-year contract. 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.

Return to Marseille

On 31 July 2025, Aubameyang returned to Marseille on a free transfer on a two-year contract. He was dropped from the squad for the final match of the season after a training ground disturbance that saw the club's Sporting Coordinator Bob Tahri sprayed with a fire extinguisher by Aubameyang, who later apologised for his role in the incident.

Deportivo A Coruña

On 17 July 2026, Aubameyang returned to La Liga, signing for newly-promoted Deportivo de A Coruña on a contract until 2028. A month later, on 17 August, he scored his first goal on his debut in a 1–1 draw with Elche.

International career

Aubameyang was invited to play for Italy U19s after a good season with Dijon, but he debuted for the France under-21 team in February 2009 in a friendly match against Tunisia U21.

Aubameyang was also eligible to play for Spain because he has Spanish 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 for Barcelona.

On 25 March 2009, Aubameyang was selected for the Gabon national team and made his debut for the squad. He scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory over Morocco, then scored a goal each in friendly matches against Benin, Togo, Algeria and Senegal.

Aubameyang was a key member of the Gabon national side that reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 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 against Mali. However, the match ended 1–1 after extra time and Aubameyang had his penalty saved in the shootout to decide the game.

In July 2012, Aubameyang represented Gabon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He scored in the team's opening game against Switzerland, 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.

On 15 June 2013, Aubameyang scored a hat-trick of penalty kicks in Gabon's 4–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Niger. He then scored a brace against Burkina Faso in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification.

Aubameyang captained Gabon at the 2015 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. He rejected a callup for a pivotal World Cup qualifier at home to the Ivory Coast in August 2017, and they lost 3–0.

Style of play

Aubameyang is primarily a striker, although he has also played as a winger, particularly on the left. His main assets are his pace, movement, and finishing. Initially deployed on the wing by Jürgen Klopp at Dortmund, a position he occupied at Saint-Étienne, Aubameyang gradually transitioned into a more central role following the departure of striker Lewandowski in 2014. Klopp later described him as a "really good central striker" who developed into a "goal machine", highlighting his combination of speed and finishing.

Aubameyang was regarded as one of the best strikers in the world during his prime years at Dortmund and Arsenal. Gary Neville hailed Aubameyang as "world class" in February 2020. Antoine Griezmann was of similar praise as well: "He is definitely a world class striker who has an incredible consistency in his game". According to Klopp, Aubameyang is "one of the best players for the counterattack because of the timing of the runs and his really outstanding finishing.” His former Dortmund teammate Reus said, "You can always find 'Auba' on the pitch. I rate his running highly. Maybe things don't always work out, but if we get it even a bit right, we create very dangerous situations."

In November 2018, The Guardian was of high praise for him in light of his goalscoring rate since arriving at Arsenal:"Aubameyang did it in France with St-Étienne, when he was Ligue 1’s second-top scorer in 2012-13 with 19 [...] He did it in Germany with Dortmund, when he was the Bundesliga’s top scorer in 2016-17 with 31 [...] Now he is doing it in England. How many other strikers can say they have delivered in three of Europe’s major leagues?"Aubameyang credits former African strikers Samuel Eto'o and Didier Drogba as his main influences. He also has a tattoo on his arm dedicated to former Argentina striker Hernán Crespo that reads 'Crespo for life'.

Media

Aubameyang was involved in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented Arsenal by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.

Produced by Fulwell 73, FIFA released Captains in 2022, an eight-part sports docuseries following six national team captains in their respective 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns. Aubameyang, representing Gabon, starred alongside Thiago Silva (Brazil), Luka Modrić (Croatia), Andre Blake (Jamaica), Hassan Maatouk (Lebanon) and Brian Kaltak (Vanuatu). It was released by Netflix and also shown on FIFA's own streaming platform, FIFA+.

Personal life

Aubameyang was born in Laval, Mayenne, France. He is the son of former Gabonese international footballer Pierre Aubameyang and younger half-brother of Catilina and Willy, who have both played for Milan's youth teams. His mother is Spanish.

He is married to Alysha Behague, the couple have two sons, Curtys and Pierre. In August 2022, Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw during a violent robbery of his home in Barcelona.

He is multilingual, speaking French, English, Spanish, Italian, and German.

He raced alongside Lando Norris for McLaren in 2020 Virtual F1 Monaco Grand Prix.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 13 September 2026

International

As of match played 28 December 2025

Honours

Saint-Étienne

Coupe de la Ligue: 2012–13

Borussia Dortmund

DFB-Pokal: 2016–17; runner-up: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16

DFL-Supercup: 2013, 2014

Arsenal

FA Cup: 2019–20

FA Community Shield: 2020

EFL Cup runner-up: 2017–18

UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2018–19

Barcelona

La Liga: 2022–23

Al-Qadsiah

King's Cup runner-up: 2024–25

Individual

African Footballer of the Year: 2015

Prix Marc-Vivien Foé: 2012–13, 2023–24

UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2012–13, 2023–24

UNFP Ligue 1 African Player of the Year: 2012–13

UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: February 2012, October 2012, February 2013, December 2023

CAF Team of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019

UEFA Europa League top scorer: 2023–24

UEFA Europa League Player of the Season: 2023–24