‘Humiliated’ Aubameyang quits Gabon national team

Gabon's star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has decided to retire from the national team following his exclusion and subsequent reinstatement from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The 37-year-old, who is the top scorer in the history of the Gabon national team, accused the Gabonese government of humiliating and smearing him, despite his participation in the tournament while injured.

Aubameyang expressed his frustration in a television interview, stating that he had had enough and was ready to retire. Gabon was eliminated from the Afcon in the group stage, which the President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema acknowledged as a blow to the country's national identity. The government's decision to fire the coaching staff, suspend the team, and sideline Aubameyang and fellow veteran Bruno Ecuele Manga sparked outrage among supporters.

Aubameyang, a top striker during his time at European clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, is set to join Deportivo La Coruna in Spain, ending his international career with Gabon.