Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: African footballer of the year profile
Last updated on .From the section African
Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had a phenomenal year, netting so many goals he set new German scoring records while also equalling old ones.
The Bundesliga started in 1963 and given the presence of goalscorers like Gerd Muller, Jupp Heynckes and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge over the years, it takes something special to create a league record.
But the Borussia Dortmund forward did precisely that when scoring in this season's first eight league games.
When he netted in a 5-1 thrashing by Bayern Munich in early October, the 26-year-old also entered the record books for another reason.
As he had scored in the last two games of 2014-15, he had struck on 10 straight Bundesliga matchdays - a feat only ever achieved by Cologne's Klaus Allofs 30 years earlier.
"My father (former Gabon international Pierre) told me that you can score in every game if you really want to," Aubameyang told BBC Sport.
"But you need a really extreme level of concentration and that's what I'm working on."
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in focus | |
|---|---|
| Club: Borussia Dortmund Age: 26 | In two-and-a-half seasons with Saint Etienne he scored 41 league goals |
| Started his career with AC Milan but left after never playing a single league game. | Joined Dortmund in 2013 and has 43 goals in 64 Bundesliga starts |
After one goalless game following his record run - albeit in a match where he provided two assists - the first Gabonese to play in Germany's top flight responded with what he calls his year-long highlight.
In his next two games - in the Bundesliga and Europa League - he scored back-to-back hat-tricks.
With fulsome finishing now added to lightning pace, 'Auba' racked up a superlative 20 goals in Dortmund's first 17 games of the 2015-16 season.
Dortmund's 2014-15 season is best forgotten - finishing seventh after a dreadful start - but Aubameyang was the outstanding performer as the winger-turned-striker ended as the club's top scorer with 16 league goals.
He also netted five in last season's DFB Pokal, including in the quarter, semi against Bayern and final itself - which they lost to Wolfsburg.
Dortmund, who stated that the 2013 signing from French side St Etienne was now 'coveted by a number of European clubs', extended his contract to 2020 in July.
While his club form has been wondrous, Aubameyang's Africa Cup of Nations was anything but - even if Gabon's captain accounted for half his side's meagre tally of just two goals in Equatorial Guinea.
That came in a 2-0 victory over Burkina Faso, but two subsequent defeats saw the Panthers bow out early.
A former Milan and France youth, Aubameyang has made the BBC African Footballer of the Year shortlist for the third year running but has never won the award.
Why he should win: John Bennett, BBC World Service
"He's quick but he can't finish," critics used to say about Aubameyang, but the Gabonese has proved them all wrong this year.
"There have been moments of brilliance, such as the successive hat-tricks, but it's his consistency that has taken him to the next level. This season, only Bayern's world-class striker Robert Lewandowski can compete.
"What's more, Aubameyang has done it all with a smile on his face. Who can forget his Batman and Robin celebration? But don't be fooled, because he has worked hard to turn potential into prolific goalscoring.
"Father Pierre is the driving force, urging him to believe in himself, while son Curtys - a Batman fanatic - is the inspiration. No other African can match Aubameyang's consistency this year, hence my choice, and the great thing is you suspect this is just the start."
