The 34-year-old striker openly admits he's a 'vengeful' character and, right now, he's silencing his critics, in France and England
Football really is a funny old game. Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea could all do with a reliable goalscorer right now and yet all three had Europe's most in-form forward on their books at one point or another during the past two seasons.
They had their reasons, of course, but the fact remains that, at 34 years of age, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is flying again – literally. The front-flip has returned and so, too, have the Marvel-inspired celebrations. Because Aubameyang has belatedly got himself back among the goals since moving to Marseille during the summer.
Ahead of Thursday's Europa League group decider against Brighton, he's been directly involved in 10 in his last four games, scoring seven times himself to take his overall tally for the 2023-24 campaign to 18 – which is quite a bit more than Gabriel Jesus (six), Robert Lewandowski (nine) and Nicolas Jackson (seven).
So, how has the disgraced former Arsenal captain and Chelsea flop transformed himself into the most lethal marksman on the continent right now?
Getty Images'Problems that were not my fault'
Aubameyang has made some seriously poor choices during his career. He may still feel he was mistreated by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal but, in truth, he only has himself to blame for the embarrassing nature of his exit.
Indeed, it's telling that when it was announced that he had been stripped of the captaincy – five weeks before his inevitable transfer to Barcelona in February 2022 – it was due to his "latest" disciplinary breach, the very obvious point being that Aubameyang had repeatedly stepped over the line.
His questionable conduct, coupled with Arsenal's subsequent transformation into title challengers, means many of the club's fans will still quite understandably feel ditching Aubameyang was the correct call – no matter how well he is presently performing at Marseille.
As for Chelsea supporters, they would point to the fact that Aubameyang scored just three goals for the club and often looked disinterested when he took to the field.
He was even subbed off just over an hour after being subbed on in a Premier League clash with Manchester City in January of this year.
However, Aubameyang's record at Stamford Bridge really needs to be put in context. The manager who signed him, Thomas Tuchel, his former mentor at Borussia Dortmund, was sacked just six days after Aubameyang's arrival in west London.
"It was not easy for me," he subsequently admitted, "and it had a big influence. From there (Tuchel's dismissal), I basically didn't play anymore. And then later, there were problems of a different nature that were not my fault."
AdvertisementGetty Images'As a person, he is a jewel'
That claim may be greeted with a little scepticism at Stamford Bridge, and the Emirates, too. However, it's worth noting that Aubameyang was hailed as a model professional by Barcelona boss Xavi, who was devastated by his departure.
"As a person, he is a jewel, always training with a smile on his face," the club legend told reporters in the summer of 2022. "It's a shame because these are the kind of players you want to have in your squad but it was a good opportunity for him and for the club as well.
"We needed to put the pieces of the puzzle together, we are all happy but I feel bad as a coach to lose a player like Aubameyang.
"He is an example on and off the pitch, he made a big difference – just look at his numbers."
They were certainly impressive. Despite the fact that he only played his first match on February 6, Aubameyang scored 13 goals in all competitions, including two in a 4-0 rout of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, to finish as the club's joint-top scorer for the 2021-22 campaign.
It is that version of Aubameyang that has resurfaced on the south coast of France – although his impact was nowhere near as instantaneous.
Getty'I am a vengeful person'
It was clear during the summer that Marseille needed a new striker. Last season's top scorer, Alexis Sanchez, had his heart set on a return to Inter – and his wish was eventually granted – while OM's interest in United States international Folarin Balogun, the Arsenal-owned attacker who had excelled on loan at Reims, never materialised into a move, with the United States international instead ending up at Monaco.
By that stage, Aubameyang had already arrived at the Velodrome, intent on rebuilding his reputation.
He had received several lucrative offers from Saudi Pro League clubs but had no interest in moving to the Middle East. It quickly became clear that he wasn't interested in lining his pockets but silencing his critics.
"I am a vengeful person," he said immediately after signing for Marseille in July. "I don't want to leave Europe until I have made my point.
"I know that this is not necessarily an easy place [to silence the critics], because there is a lot of expectation. But that's what I like. As a footballer, you have to know how to accept pressure, to live with it. I think that's what makes us better players, better men."
Getty'Aubameyang is a bit lost'
Aubameyang certainly didn't look like he was enjoying the pressure that comes with playing for such a demanding fan-base during the first few months of the season.
He scored twice in his second start for Marseille but his double wasn't enough to see Marcelino's team progress past Panathinaikos in the third round of the Champions League qualifiers, with the Greeks going through on penalties.
Unsurprisingly, that defeat devastated the entire club. The fans were furious and rather incredibly continued to question Marcelino's tactics during an unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season, prompting the Spaniard to sensationally step down after a 0-0 draw with Toulouse played out in a toxic atmosphere at the Velodrome.
Amidst reports that the manager had been subjected to death threats – which were vehemently denied by ultras – Marseille issued a statement saying, "The entire club is extremely disappointed to have to deal with the departure of a coach and technical staff, who only arrived in Marseille on June 23 and were fully committed to the club, for non-sporting reasons."
As the club's stellar summer signing, Aubameyang was also targeted by the fans, who whistled, booed and heckled the striker as he left the field in the closing stages of a 0-0 draw with Lille on November 4.
By that stage, Aubameyang had still only netted once in Ligue 1 and both his performances and his demeanour became the subject of much debate in Marseille, and indeed the rest of France.
OM legend Jean-Pierre Papin argued Aubameyang wasn't working hard enough on the field but while former Marseille midfielder Edouard Cisse conceded that the No.10 looked "lost", he pointed out that when you're "among 10 lads who are also lost, it's even harder to find your place."
Consequently, the support of two key figures at Marseille proved crucial.
