The injured Aubameyang will miss the international swan song with Gabon

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s international career appears to have ended on a bleak note as he returned to France on Tuesday. He will miss Gabon’s final match in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

After losing their first two matches in Group F to Cameroon and Mozambique, Gabon are eliminated with one match remaining against Ivory Coast in Marrakech on Wednesday.

At the age of 36, the match against the Ivorians was expected to bring the curtain down on his 16-year international career, but he will skip the final group match when he returns to his club, Olympique de Marseille.

A thigh injury on the eve of the tournament in Morocco left his participation in doubt, but he came into action after 30 minutes against Cameroon in Gabon’s opening match on Christmas Eve and played the full match against Mozambique on Sunday, scoring in the 3–2 defeat.

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“According to the established medical protocol between the medical staff of Marseille and Gabon regarding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, clinical examinations were carried out on a daily basis,” said a statement Tuesday from the Gabon Football Federation.

«The latest examination confirmed the discomfort he experienced in his left thigh the day after the match between Gabon and Mozambique. Given the disappointing results, which interrupted Gabon’s participation, the medical staff, in consultation with his club, agreed to protect the player’s physical well-being by exempting him from the last, unimportant match.»

Gabon’s ancient talisman

Aubameyang has long been Gabon’s talisman, choosing to play for the team his father captained even after playing at junior level for France, where he was born.

He made his debut for Gabon in 2009, scoring against Morocco in a World Cup qualifier, and went on to win 82 caps and score 39 goals.

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Aubameyang helped Gabon reach the quarter-finals of the Cup of Nations when the tournament was hosted in 2012, but was the only player to fail to convert his penalty in a shootout defeat after the match against Mali.

The tournament in Morocco was Aubameyang’s sixth appearance in the Cup of Nations final. In 2015 he was African Footballer of the Year.

Earlier this year he helped Gabon finish as one of the top four runners-up in the World Cup qualifiers, including scoring four goals against Gambia in October. However, Gabon lost in the play-offs in Africa last month, ending their hopes of qualifying for a first-ever World Cup final in North America in June next year.

Published on December 30, 2025