Exclusive: Age No Barrier as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Dreams of World Cup with Gabon

Former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has described inspiring Gabon to their first FIFA World Cup finals, after years of heartbreaks from failed qualification campaigns, as the 'best dream' of his career.

Despite having revered star players within their ranks, the Panthers have always fallen agonizingly short in their bid for a World Cup ticket over the years.

However, all indications point to the possibility of Aubameyang and his team breaking the qualification jinx this year, as Gabon are in cruising control of Group F of the African qualifiers.

Gabon have garnered 15 points from six rounds of the qualifiers, with African champions, Ivory Coast placing second with 13 points, although the Elephants had a game in hand by the time of writing.

Burundi are ranked third with seven points, one ahead of the Benni McCarthy-coached Kenya and three ahead of The Gambia, home to Brighton wing wizard Yankuba Minteh among other stars.

Punching bags Seychelles, who are already out of contention for the World Cup ticket, sit at the rock-bottom of the group without a point and a -25 goal difference.

The fact that Gabon have already played and secured favourable results in their away matches to; Ivory Coast, Burundi and Kenya certainly gives them an edge in the race for automatic qualification.

With four rounds of qualifiers remaining, Aubameyang is hoping to score the biggest goal of his career, as he envisioned it, when he pulled out of retirement in May 2022.

AUBAMEYANG DREAMING BIG

It is in no doubt that the former Chelsea star has bagged individual awards, including the 2016 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year, over the years he has graced some of Europe's finest competitions.

His goal-scoring instincts procured him the English Premier League's Golden Boot in the 2018-2019 season, when he netted 22 goals for Arsenal, sharing the award with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, who also had similar goals tally at Liverpool.

The 35-year-old also laid hands on the award in the German Bundesliga in the 2016-2017 season having found the back of the net 31 times while playing for Borussia Dortmund.

His individual accolades and trophy cabinet are by far impressive, but guiding his country to clinch the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) or qualifying for the World Cup has been elusive.

Aubameyang is far from giving up on taking his country to the 2026 World Cup finals, to be staged jointly by the United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico.

When his country visited Nairobi, over the weekend, for the crucial and final qualifier in the March FIFA window, all odds were not in their favour, going by the strong performance Kenya had put in the first game under McCarthy's reign.

The former Barcelona star, however, rose to the occasion and kissed the back of the net twice to see his side snatch a hard-fought 2-1 over Kenya, in a fully-packed Nyayo Stadium.

His brace over Kenya saw him stretch his goal tally in the World Cup qualifiers to three, with his fellow countryman Denis Bouanga topping the Group F scorer's sheet with six.

Aubameyang, despite losing the captaincy to Bruno Ecuele Manga, says is determined to lead the team to the World Cup and make the people of the West African country proud.

"Getting to the World Cup will be amazing not only for me but the country as well. It has never happened before, so it is a big goal and a target for us. I think getting to the World Cup will be my best dream and hopefully, I will achieve it," he told SportsBoom.com while cracking his signature smile.

UNFAZED BY AGE

Pundits have previously observed that the former Lille man has his best days way behind him, having ditched European football for the Saudi League in the last summer.

Aubameyang caught many by surprise after joining Saudi Pro League (SPL) club Al Qadsiah, on a two-year-long deal, from French League 1 club Marseille.

Despite playing in a league, that is largely considered a 'retirement' home for superstars, Aubameyang insists that he is strong and good enough to play at the top level for a couple of years.

He said a failed qualification bid for the 2026 World Cup finals will not deter him from trying his luck for the 2030 finals again to be jointly hosted by; Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

"Why not," he said while responding to the possibility of playing in the 2030 World Cup finals.

Watching his seniors going strong both at the club and their respective national teams is perhaps a source of motivation in his bid for more years at the competitive level.

"Age is just a number. You can see players playing up to 40 years.  I am only 35, so I still have time. I feel good.... this is the most important. So long as I am healthy, I will play my game and try to do my best."