Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Chelsea has been urged by his country president Ali Bongo Ondimba to end his international retirement.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang visited his country Gabon on Monday, 8th of May, where he met with the president.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba urged the veteran goal scorer to reconsider his international retirement after falling out with the federation.
The Gabonise striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang announced his international retirement twelve months ago following a successful 13 years period with Gabon national team for which he scored 30 goals in 72 appearances.
He is the top scorer in Gabon’s history and the only player from his country to win the African Footballer of the Year award.
The president of Gabon, Ondimba, reportedly has a close relationship with the 33-year-old striker and his family and is hoping to convince him to return home from his international exile. However, Aubameyang is giving it a lot of thought.
Leading a group that also includes Sudan, Mauritania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon is currently in the top spot as they prepare to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Hence, if Aubameyang decides to make a return to international football, it could help Gabon qualify for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations.
Even more importantly, Aubameyang’s presence is expected to aid Gabon both in qualifying for the tournament and in performing well at the January finals in Ivory Coast.
Ahead of the summer transfer window, the future of the former Arsenal striker is uncertain.
He joined Chelsea last summer from Barcelona but has only seen limited playing time with the first team this year. He is likely to leave Stamford Bridge before the start of the 2023–24 season.
Aubameyang failed to establish himself as a starter and was eventually benched when Thomas Tuchel was fired shortly after his arrival.
Interim manager Frank Lampard gave him a start against his old team, Arsenal, but he was taken out after 45 minutes.
What’s next for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?
The veteran forward will likely be focusing on finding a new club this summer, but if Gabon qualifies for the AFCON in January, he would have the opportunity to play for his country again.
Who’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?
Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang is a Gabon professional football player who plays as a striker for the Chelsea football club in England.
Aubameyang’s age;
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was born on the 18th of June, 1989, in Laval, France.
Aubameyang’s club career;
Aubameyang started his professional club career with AC Milan in Italy, but he was sent on multiple loan stints to French clubs before making his Milan debut.
In 2011, he made the move to Saint-Étienne. He left in 2013 to join Borussia Dortmund, where he promptly won the Coupe de la Ligue.
Aubameyang was German Bundesliga’s leading goalscorer in the 2016–17 season, earning him a DFB-Pokal trophy. In addition, he is Dortmund’s seventh-leading scorer of all time.
When Aubameyang signed for Arsenal in 2018 for £56 million (€60 million), it was the most expensive transfer in the history of the Gabonese national football team.
He won an FA Cup with Arsenal and tied for the league’s scoring lead in 2018–19.
Aubameyang’s contract with Arsenal F.C. was mutually terminated in 2022, and he subsequently signed with Barcelona. But at the end of the summer transfer window, he signed with Chelsea F.C. and returned to the Premier League.
Aubameyang’s international career;
Aubameyang has scored more goals than any other Gabonese player. Starting in 2009 when he was just 19 years old, he went on to compete in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2012 Summer Olympics for Gabon.
In 2016, Aubameyang became the first Gabonese and the second European-born player to win the award for African Footballer of the Year.
