2 September 2026
Veteran Gabonese star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has stated that he does not wish to represent his national team again following the crises that plagued the team during the recent Africa Cup of Nations.
"I was humiliated and my reputation was tarnished despite playing injured in the Africa Cup of Nations," Aubameyang declared during an appearance on the French television program "Africa Talents" on Canal+.
News of Aubameyang's (37 years old) departure from the Gabonese national team has been widely reported in local media.
The Gabonese national team lost all three of its group stage matches in the Africa Cup of Nations held in Morocco in December 2015 and January 2016.
The Gabonese government initially suspended the national team players and excluded captain Aubameyang, but the new Minister of Sports, Paul Ulrich Kessani, a former international player himself, overturned these sanctions.
Aubameyang had previously announced his international retirement in May 2022, sending a letter to his country's football federation, but reversed his decision a year later, resuming a career that saw him earn 80 international caps and score 40 goals.
Aubameyang is currently enjoying a successful spell with Deportivo La Coruña, having scored three goals in the first three rounds of La Liga. Prior to this, he played for Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Olympique Marseille.
