It’s always very disappointing for any player not to leave a lasting impression while playing for their club or country, worldwide, players usually take the quitting option if the heat is too much.
Such is Gabonese international striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang who has reportedly retired from the national team.
The 29-year-old Arsenal forward caused a stir in September 2018 when he cited the unprofessionalism of the Gabonese FA when they named his father Aubameyang Senior as head coach apparently without his consent.
The latter was sick at the time, the football governing body later named former striker Daniel Cousins head coach.
“I want football to become more professional in Gabon. It is what the players deserve. That is what is lacking, and it is the reason why I sometimes don’t turn up to play,” Aubemeyang said then.
“I am extremely disappointed by the behaviour of certain people – both in the Gabon FA and higher up,” he added.
After failing to play in the previous AFCON qualifying wins against South Sudan and Mali, Aubemeyamg started in the crucial clash against Burundi.
But he failed to inspire the Panthers to the victory they needed to advance into the finals in Egypt.
The one all draw away to Burundi is reported to have led to the striker calling it quits.
Aubameyang has managed 59 caps scoring 24 times in the process making him all-time top scorer of Gabon.
He has appeared in three AFCON tournaments with their best performance being a quarterfinal finish in 2012 when they co-hosted with Equatorial Guinea.
Not even when they hosted the last edition did they make it out of the group stages in 2017.
There has also been a lot of backlash from the nation on various social media platforms calling for Aubameyang’s retirement.
Teams that have already qualified: Egypt, Madagascar, Senegal, Morocco, Cameroon, Mali, Burundi, Algeria, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Angola, Mauritania, Tunisia, Guinea Bissau, Namibia, Uganda
