PROFILE | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hitting his stride at Marseille

The French-born striker that Les Bleus never had, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, made his return to Ligue 1 with Olympique de Marseille. His arrival aimed to replicate the success of Alexis Sánchez, who departed OM after just one season at the Vélodrome. After a difficult start, he is beginning to fill the void created by Sánchez.

The former AS Saint-Étienne goal scorer’s season has thus far been punctuated by his career-highlight-worthy overhead kick goal against Ajax. Perhaps more significant than his goal-scoring has been his playmaking. The OM No.10 has taken his number to heart, and at the time of this writing, leads the league with an impressive tally of five assists, whilst he also has five league goals to his name.

The Gabonese international has not only begun scoring domestically, but he has also racked up an additional seven goals in European competition. This tally has been the key to OM’s resurgence in the league and the French giant’s return to form in European competitions. 

In OM’s thrilling 4-3 victory over Ajax, the former Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona striker showcased his versatility by seamlessly transitioning from acrobatic finishes to calmly converting a decisive 93rd-minute game-winning penalty.

His goals in recent games are symptomatic of a collective as well as a collective resurgence. Aubameyang was a peripheral figure at Chelsea. The forward scored just three goals for the Premier League side last season so Marseille’s decision to make him the focal point of their attack was a risk. For the opening weeks of the season, it was a risk that looked not to be paying off, but the Gabonese forward has embodied OM’s revival towards the end of the calendar year. 

Witnessing one of Ligue 1’s greatest exported