Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Confederation of African Football’s African footballer of the Year 2015. The first Gabonese to achieve that feat.
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang
Date of Birth: 18 June, 1989
Nationality: Gabon
Position: Striker/Winger
COMING UP THE RANKS
Aubameyang swapped many youth clubs before joining AC Milan in 2007. He impressed with the Italian giants in the Pre-season immediately scoring loads of goals just prior to start of the season.
Aubameyang was then loaned out for gaining first team experience. In his loan stints with Dijon, Lille and Monaco – he made a name for himself in France.
Aubameyang didn’t made a single first team appearance for AC Milan as he was then sold to another Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne.
MAKING HIS MARK
Aubameyang was initially loaned to Saint-Etienne after half season with Monaco and was purchased by Saint-Etienne later. Aubameyang was handed the ‘7’ number jersey and soon made quite of an impact with the French side.
In 2012-13 Aubameyang finished only second from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Ligue 1’s leading goalscorer and found his place in French Ligue Players of the season team. He was even voted as Ligue 1’s African Player of the season.
DONNING THE YELLOW
Aubameyang signed for Borussia Dortmund on a five year contract and was forced to play on flanks for his first couple of seasons with Dortmund, making way for Robert Lewandowski in the central position. Despite of playing on flanks, his hunger to score goals could clearly be seen. In his first season in Germany, Aubameyang netted 16 goals in all competition.
With departure of Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang became first choice striker and you could see him scoring for fun.
The goals kept on increasing season by season with the big man from Gabon as he netted 25 in his second season there (16 of which coming in Bundesliga).
This was only a start of something extra-ordinary to be witnessed at Westfalenstadion,
In 2015-16, the trio of Aubameyang, Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan established themselves as ‘one of the deadliest trio’ around the globe (Aubameyang will pair up with Mkhitaryan in later stages of his career when he joins Arsenal). In 2015-16, Aubameyang netted 25 in Bundesliga only which saw him finish as second top goal scorer in the league behind former Dortmund striker Lewandowski.
In 2016-17, Aubameyang finished League’s top goalscorer with a whooping 31 goals in the league as netting his 100th goal for Dortmund in all competition.
Aubameyang has hand in 172 goals for Dortmund in 213 appearances in all competitions. Pierre even has 98 Bundesliga goals for Dortmund in 144 matches.
GUNNING FOR GREATNESS
