While FC Barcelona have made some disastrous signings in the last decade, there have other highly shrewd pieces of business as well which have returned very high dividends for the club. Among this latter category, one of the more memorable names is that of the Gabonese striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The striker joined Barcelona in the winter window of January 2022, after struggling to impress in the Premier League with Arsenal. The striker was able to get a letter of freedom from the Gunners at that time, which allowed him to join Barcelona without the Catalan club paying any transfer fee for him.
Aubameyang’s time at Barcelona
His stay at Barcelona lasted only six months, but these six months were enough for him to prove to be a useful asset for the Catalans and win over the Camp Nou faithful. In the 2021-22 season, the striker appeared for the Blaugranes in 23 games, 17 in La Liga and another 6 in Europa League, in which he scored 13 goals and gave one assist.
His most memorable performance in a Barcelona shirt remains the one against Real Madrid in March 2022, when he scored two goals and gave one assist at the Santiago Bernabeu to help the Catalans come out with a 4-0 win over their bitter rivals at their own home.
His time at Barcelona was the best of his career
Performances like these made Aubameyang a highly popular figure in Barcelona, and the club fans developed a strong liking for him. The feeling was fully reciprocal, as Aubameyang has mentioned in a recent interview with Prime Video Sport France that his time spent at Barcelona was the best part of his career. The striker explained:
“I think I had the best 6 months of my career. I have never loved playing and going to training so much. I even went on off days.”
Aubameyang’s words carry a lot of weight, as it has been some time since he left Barcelona, and he played for other clubs significantly longer than the time he spent at the Catalan club. He spent four and a half years at Borussia Dortmund and another four years at Arsenal but still chose his time at Barcelona as the best of his career.
His commitment to Barcelona was never in doubt, despite his short stay at the club, and it was only Lewandowski’s arrival that made the Catalans part from him. Even in his departure, he benefitted the club as the Catalans got €15 million for him from Chelsea at a very difficult time for them financially.
