From El Barraco to Camp Nou: Aubameyang's Spanish roots

El Barraco, home of speedsters. That small Avila town saw cyclists and brothers in law El Chava Jimenez and Carlos Sastre take their first pedals, but also a few years before, a woman called Maragrita Crespo was born there there. Later, on June 18, 1989, she gave birth herself and the baby was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. You’ll know him.

At five years old she and her family went to France’s north east to live. There she met Pierre-Francois Aubame-Eyang, a footballer playing in defence in French football. 

Pierre-Emerick, the youngest of their kids, was born there, in Laval. He has French nationality for that, plus Spanish for his mother, and Gabonese for his father. His dad played 80 times for the African team, the third most of anyone, while Pierre-Emerick is on 72, following him.

He went back to El Barraco for the first time at one year old and in 2018, at 27 years old, Aubameyang went back to bury his grandma on his mother’s side. Auba’s mother has explained that he had a close relationship with his grandparents so he speaks Spanish well and is very interested in the town they were from.

Even while he was at Borussia Dortmund he visited El Barraco frequently and spent various holidays there. He was seen playing with his father, cousins and neighbours at the sports centre Victor Sastre.

After playing for Lille, Saint-Etienne and Monaco, he moved to Dortmund, where he spent five seasons and won the top scorer award in the 2016-17 season. He then had five more at Arsenal.

Auba has never hidden that he wanted to play in Spain, but he promised his grandfather he would play for Real Madrid one day. That hasn’t come to pass but by being in Spain he is able to see his family more. He has a house in Sitges, which he’s owned for a few years, and he will be neighbours with Memphis and Dest.