Huge blow for Gabon. Six days before the start of the 2025 African Cup of Nations in Morocco, the Panthers learned of the injury to their star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Affected in “the back of the left thigh”, as announced in a press release from the Gabonese Federation, the Olympique de Marseille player will miss at least the first match against Cameroon.
On Sunday, the former Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal scorer was a good starter for the Ligue 1 match against AS Monaco. Replaced by Darryl Bakola in the 86th minute, he actively participated in the Phocéens’ victory to secure a place on the podium at the end of the 16th day. However, he left with pain that will handicap him for a few days.
His package for the first CAN match, on December 24 in Agadir, is already official. The rest of his competition is on hold. In its press release, the Gabonese Federation indicates that “depending on the clinical and imaging evolution, participation in the match on December 28 against Mozambique is possible”. Placed in Group F, the toughest in the competition, Gabon will face Ivory Coast to close the group stage on December 31 in Marrakech.
Top scorer in the history of the Panthers with 39 goals in 84 caps, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is essential to this team. He also participated in his country’s best results at the CAN, with a quarter-final in 2012. He also wore the captain’s armband in 2015, before retiring internationally in 2022 and returning a year later.
