This is a special game on a personal level for the forward, who promised his Spanish grandfather that he’d play for Real Madrid one day. Now, he will feature in this leading fixture of club football on the other side of the El Clasico divide, in the colours of bitter rivals FC Barcelona.
Written by Alejandro Fernandez.
It’s El Clasico week and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is preparing for the most special of debuts: his debut in one of world football’s most important fixtures. It’s not only a big game because of what Sunday’s match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona means for the clubs and the fanbases, but also because of what it means to him. Both professionally and personally, it’s a night to look forward to.
The Gabon international comes into this weekend’s fixture as one of the star signings of the winter transfer market, having scored five goals in six La Liga Santander matches since arriving in the league. That is a scoring start at the level of other great FC Barcelona players, such as Zlatan Ibrahimović, Ronaldo, Romário, or Johan Cruyff. Now, Aubameyang is preparing for this fixture that is special for everybody, but even more so for him because of the significance of Real Madrid, this Sunday’s opponent, in his personal and family story.
It won’t be the first time in his career that Aubameyang takes to the Santiago Bernabéu pitch. He already visited when he was with Borussia Dortmund, where he spent five years. With the German team, he actually visited the stadium in Spain’s capital on multiple occasions to play in the Champions League, scoring three goals at Real Madrid’s home ground. But, this will be his first time visiting in the Blaugrana colours.
For Aubameyang, Real Madrid are more than just another opponent. This is a match and date that he’ll have circled in red in the La Liga Santander calendar. Firstly, there’s a celebration that links him to the capital city club, specifically that of Hugo Sánchez. The Gabon international celebrates goals with a somersault, a celebration that the Mexican used to use to toast his goals with Real Madrid. That’s not a coincidence. As Aubameyang himself explained in an interview with French magazine L’Equipe a few years ago: “I celebrate goals with a somersault as a tribute to Hugo Sánchez. I’ve seen many videos of him on the internet and have followed him since I was young.”
Real Madrid are also at the centre of a family promise made by Aubameyang. He was born in France to a Gabonese father, who also played football for the country, but his roots are also in El Barraco, a town of 2,000 people in the province of Ávila, just 100 kilometres from Madrid and very close to Navalacruz, the home of Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas. El Barraco is the town where Aubameyang’s mother is from and where his grandfather Emiliano lived. It was to that grandfather that Aubameyang once made a promise: to play for Real Madrid.
Although he’ll now make his El Clasico debut against the team of that promise and in their rivals’ shirt, his grandfather would be just as proud. When he arrived at Barcelona, the striker explained: “My grandfather was a big fan of Atlético de Madrid and I always told him I’d play for the other club. When you’re younger, your family tell you things and it was something I spoke about with my grandfather. Wherever he’s watching on from now, I think he’ll be happy that I’m here wearing the Blaugrana colours.”
Apart from this special connection to this fixture, his first El Clasico comes with the forward in good form and starting up front in Xavi’s preferred line-up. He has become a key figure in the Catalan team and his good performances since arriving at FC Barcelona have made him one of the main threats in this clash with Real Madrid, when he’ll hope to add to his previous goals scored at the Bernabéu. He’ll look to add to his already sizable collection of goals for Barça too.
Image from ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images.
