Aubameyang Retires From Gabon National Team
Gabon's all-time top scorer says he was humiliated after the squad's AFCON 2025 exit, ending an international career capped by a captaincy and record goal tally.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has announced he will no longer play for Gabon, ending an international career that made him the country's all-time leading scorer.
"They humiliated me and tarnished my image, even though I played the AFCON while injured. That was the last straw and I'd rather stop here," the 37-year-old said in an interview with Canal+.
The decision follows Gabon's group-stage exit at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where the Panthers lost all three matches, including a 3-2 defeat to Ivory Coast. Aubameyang played through injury against Cameroon and Mozambique, scoring against the latter, and missed the final group game against Ivory Coast.
President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said afterwards that "a part of the national identity" had been weakened by the campaign. The government responded by dissolving the coaching staff, suspending the national team indefinitely and dropping both Aubameyang and Bruno Ecuele Manga, 38, from the squad. The decision drew anger from Gabonese supporters.
"I think the team's problems run much deeper than the small part I play," Aubameyang said, rejecting the suggestion that he was to blame for the collapse.
Sébastien Migné, Gabon's new head coach, must now plan for the CAN qualifiers without his captain.
Aubameyang's club form has not suffered.
About this article
Prepared by the editorial team with the help of algorithms, based on the sources listed