"Go OM... See you in Marseille," thundered the striker in a short video unveiled by his club on his Twitter account, while the latter echoed "The lightning Aubameyang on Massalia. The Gabonese striker joins Olympique de Marseille", still on the same social network.

Having played for Lille, Monaco, Saint-Étienne, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, Aubameyang has signed a contract that binds him to OM until 2026.

Recognized scorer, Aubameyang, arrived free, comes to strengthen the offensive sector of the Marseille team coached by the Spaniard Marcelino, also arrived in the offseason, while a doubt remains about the extension of the Chilean Alexis Sanchez.

Aubameyang is therefore Marseille's third major signing, after the arrivals of French-Central African midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia from Atlético Madrid and Brazilian full-back Renan Lodi, a defector from Nottingham Forest where he was on loan from the Colchoneros.

Symbol of the rebirth of the Greens

The native of Laval, now 34, was trained at AC Milan, who successively loaned him to Dijon in Ligue 2 (2008-2009) to get seasoned before a new loan to Lille the following season. But eager to benefit from playing time that he can not find in the plethoric squad of the Lombard club, he is forced to stay in the league of France, this time in Monaco.

But it is at Saint-Etienne that the young striker will prove to be an outstanding goalscorer, pushing the Saint-Etienne leaders to lift the purchase option included in the Milan loan. Choice paid off since Aubamayang then became the symbol of the rebirth of the Greens who won the Coupe de la Ligue under the direction of Christophe Galtier (2013).

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the colours of AS Saint-Etienne at the Stade de France, April 20, 2013 © FRANCK FIFE / AFP/Archives

He then signed for Borussia Dortmund, attracted by his goalscoring skills. In five years spent in the Ruhr, Aubameyang will assert himself as one of the most prolific international strikers with a whopping 141 goals in 213 matches, with the key to a title of top scorer of the Bundesliga at the end of the 2016-2017 season.

With the Arsenal shirt, Aubameyang is still enjoying success by becoming one of the executives of the Gunners with whom he will win the FA Cup (2020), the Community Shield (2020) and a title of top scorer of the Premier League (2018-2019 season).

With his arrival in the Marseille city, OM, who are playing in the preliminary round of the Champions League, will be able to count on his experience to hope to reach the group stage in September.

© 2023 AFP