After a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in their opener, Gabon are up against it as they look to revive their Africa Cup of Nations hopes and reach the knockout stages; a matchday two showdown with Mozambique in Agadir represents their best chance to making their case for the Last 16…and to stop the sands of time pouring out on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s hopes of an AFCON fairytale.
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Of course, many of Africa’s greatest players have never won the continent’s grandest prize, with the likes of Didier Drogba, Nwankwo Kanu and Michael Essien never getting their hands on the title. It’s a fate that may yet befall Mohamed Salah, who has twice reached the tournament final without clinching the trophy. Having opted to represent Gabon, it was unlikely to ever really be a realistic option for Aubameyang, where comparisons with George Weah, who represented lowly Liberia, are more apt.
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However, while Weah – Africa’s only Ballon d’Or winner to date – still enjoyed his own memorable moments at the Nations Cup, notably inspiring the Lone Stars to qualify for their first ever competition in 1996, Aubameyang’s relationship with the continent’s premier competition has been frustrating and unfulfilled.
This is Aubameyang’s sixth shot at the AFCON. After making his international debut in 2009, having opted to represent the land of his father ahead of Spain or France, he was given 43 minutes of playing time – across three substitute appearances – as Alain Giresse’s Panthers were eliminated in the group stage in 2010, but then truly announced himself as an African striker to fear at the 2012 edition on home soil.
There, he netted against Niger, Morocco and Tunisia in the group stage – becoming, in the space of a week, Gabon’s joint top scorer in AFCON history – but would then miss the decisive penalty in the quarterfinal shootout defeat by Mali in Libreville as the hosts got knocked out after a 1-1 draw.
Aubameyang reacts after missing a penalty against Mali in the 2012 AFCON. Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images
Aubameyang, then only 22, was inconsolable after the miss, but it was testament to his inspirational displays to this point in the competition that the weight of failure was carried so heavily by the youngster, who had appeared, at times, to be spearheading the hosts’ challenge singlehandedly.
In the four AFCONs since, Aubameyang has experienced more in the way of heartbreak and disappointment. They failed to qualify in 2013, he scored one in 2015 as Gabon fell in the first round, and two more two years later, as they were again eliminated on home soil amidst political tension and protests against former president Ali Bongo.
During that tournament, Aubameyang received significant criticism from the country’s local media, and at one point refused to speak with them.
Long gone was the goodwill and invigorating sense of purpose that had accompanied his breakout AFCON five years earlier, with Aubameyang, now a well-known face across world football, receiving criticism about his commitment to the cause, with some portions of Gabonese fans and media suggesting that, having been raised in France, he was not as truly wedded to the fate of the nation as the country’s populace.
Aubameyang reacts during the Gabon-Cameroon match in Agadir on Dec 24. Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images
Thereafter followed spells of absence from the national side as the forward focused on his club career, scoring goals aplenty for Borussia Dortmund and then Arsenal, but depriving himself from Gabon in spells after announcing his international retirement.
It did predictably little to change the sense back home that there was an irretrievable distance between player and country.
Recalled to the fold for the 2021 edition in Cameroon, the edition proved to be an unmitigated disaster for Aubameyang. He arrived late for the camp after landing from Abu Dhabi with teammate Mario Lemina, then tested positive for COVID-19 and, despite being expected to feature for the Panthers in their second group game against Ghana, was ultimately denied from participating late on after tests showed the player had ‘cardiac lesions’.
Ultimately, Aubameyang was sent back to Arsenal to undergo further medical tests, although he’d never play for the club again, instead signing for Barcelona in early February. While he’s continued to score at club level, at least at Barca, Marseille and Al-Qadsiah, if not at Chelsea, the striker is now 36 and will be 38 by the time the next AFCON begins.
Already, the prospect of him delivering a defining AFCON performance in his prime has passed him by, but as he’s demonstrated for OM in Ligue 1 so far this season – 10 goal involvements in 14 matches – he still has much to offer as one of the Panthers’ elder statesmen.
There was reason for optimism for the national side heading into this tournament as well, with the side performing well during World Cup qualification, only narrowly missing out to Ivory Coast as group winners, before falling to Nigeria in the CAF playoffs.
This is an experienced side – 11 of the squad are over 30 – with this cycle of players, the likes of Lemina, Bruno Ecuele Manga, Andre Poko, Guelor Kanga and Didier Ndong, who have given a global visibility to the country’s football like never before, surely coming to an end here in Morocco. There’s also talent, not least Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga, second only to Lionel Messi for successful dribbles-per-match in Major League Soccer this season, as well as Angers forward Jim Allevinah (both also over 30).
Aubameyang reacts during the Gabon-Cameroon match in Agadir on Dec 24. Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images
“Aubameyang plays a fundamental role as a technical leader,” head coach Thierry Mouyouma told CAF earlier this year. “He remains one of our captains and maintains exemplary motivation.
“In my view, he should have won the African Player of The Year award at a time when his statistics spoke for themselves. For fifteen years, no African striker has shown such consistency.
“He proves that age is just a number,” he concluded. “His mentality, desire, and professionalism benefit everyone, players and staff alike.”
Mouyouma fancies himself as one of the finest African tacticians of his generation, although the evidence of the opener against Cameroon, when his side fell behind early and he was forced to turn to Lemina and Aubameyang from the bench after 33 minutes may suggest otherwise.
There’s another subplot brewing as well.
As had been the case in 2017 and 2023, Aubameyang’s AFCON is threatening to be derailed by off-field problems as well, this time, increasing tensions between Gabon and Marseille.
The Panthers had initially declared Aubameyang would be unavailable for the opener as the striker continues to make a steady comeback from a hamstring strain, and OM’s officials – some of whom are with the team in Agadir supervising the veteran’s recovery – were subsequently displeased to see him playing an hour against Cameroon.
It remains to be seen whether the striker, still waiting for that opportunity to truly leave a lasting legacy at the Nations Cup, will even get to play against Mozambique or Ivory Coast after that, let alone drive Gabon into the knockouts.
He may never get the chance again.
