Gabon will begin its 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign without the one player who has carried its attack for more than a decade, and the timing could hardly be more difficult. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has retired from international football after a bitter fallout with Gabonese authorities, only to rediscover extraordinary form at Deportivo La Coruña, where he has scored in each of his first five league appearances.
For Gabon, the problem is therefore not simply losing a veteran striker. The Panthers are losing their all-time leading scorer at precisely the moment he appears to be showing that he still has plenty left in his legs. With Gabon scheduled to face Morocco in its opening 2027 AFCON qualifier later this month, the question is whether the national team can move forward without the player who has been its most reliable source of goals for years.
Aubameyang Is Leaving at the Wrong Time for Gabon.
At 37, Aubameyang might normally be expected to be approaching the final stage of his international career. Instead, his current form has made his departure particularly painful for Gabonese football.
Since joining Deportivo from Marseille, the striker has scored against Elche, Málaga, Valencia, Villarreal and Getafe. His goal against Getafe on Sunday extended his remarkable run to five consecutive matches with a goal, putting him in the company of only a small group of players to achieve that feat at the beginning of a LaLiga career.
Spanish football analyst Andrés Onrubia has been particularly impressed, arguing that Aubameyang’s performances suggest he could still have been starting regularly for Marseille. His assessment reflects the wider surprise surrounding the striker’s form: rather than fading quietly at the end of his career, Aubameyang has arrived in Spain looking revitalised.
His Numbers Make Gabon’s Loss Even Bigger.
The scale of Gabon’s problem becomes clearer when Aubameyang’s international record is considered.
He is the country’s all-time leading goalscorer and has spent years carrying much of the responsibility for creating and finishing Gabon’s most important attacking opportunities. His pace, movement behind defensive lines and ability to score from limited opportunities made him particularly valuable to a national team that has rarely possessed the same depth of attacking options as Africa’s biggest football nations.
His departure also removes an experienced leader who understood the pressure surrounding Gabon’s national team.
That combination of experience and current form would normally make him one of the first names on the team sheet. Instead, Gabon must now find another way to score without him.
Why Did Aubameyang Walk Away?
The circumstances of his retirement make the situation even more complicated.
Aubameyang announced his decision in September after becoming increasingly frustrated with the treatment he received following Gabon’s disappointing 2025 AFCON campaign in Morocco. He said he felt humiliated and believed his reputation had been damaged despite playing at the tournament while injured.
His decision followed a turbulent period in which Gabon’s football authorities and government responded strongly to the team’s poor AFCON performance. The national team was suspended, Aubameyang was temporarily banned from international activities and coach Thierry Mouyouma was dismissed.
For Aubameyang, the dispute appears to have been the final stage of a relationship that had become increasingly difficult. He ultimately decided that continuing with the national team was no longer worth the personal cost.
Can Gabon Build a New Attack?
That leaves Gabon facing a difficult sporting transition. Replacing a player like Aubameyang cannot be achieved simply by selecting another striker. The Panthers need someone capable of assuming the scoring responsibility he carried, while the team’s midfield and wide players must also become more productive.
The challenge is particularly important because Gabon’s qualification group includes Morocco, one of Africa’s strongest national teams. Morocco will host Gabon in the opening qualifier, creating an immediate test for a Gabon side attempting to establish itself without its biggest attacking name.
Gabon will therefore have very little room for adjustment. A poor start could immediately put pressure on the new generation to deliver results that would previously have been expected from Aubameyang.
What Does Gabon Do With Its New Generation?
The retirement could nevertheless force Gabon to address a problem that has existed for years: its heavy dependence on one superstar.
For too long, Gabon’s hopes have been closely associated with the availability and form of Aubameyang. That dependence produced memorable moments, but it also left the national team vulnerable whenever its captain was injured, unavailable or struggling for form.
The current situation presents an opportunity to change that model. Young attackers now have the chance to establish themselves without constantly being compared with Aubameyang. Gabon’s coaching staff can also develop a system based on collective attacking responsibility rather than simply finding ways to get the ball to one exceptional forward.
The transition will not be easy, but it may ultimately be necessary if Gabon wants to become more competitive beyond the Aubameyang era.
Spain Is Showing What Gabon Is Losing.
The irony is difficult to ignore. While Gabon prepares to play without him, Antonio Hidalgo, Aubameyang’s coach at Deportivo, is enjoying the benefits of having an experienced striker who remains physically capable of deciding matches. Teammate Ximo Navarro has gone even further, describing Aubameyang as a “world-class star” and praising the example he is setting for younger players at the club.
Spanish football commentator Axel Torres has also highlighted the striker’s continued quality, arguing that Aubameyang could still be a starter for a significant number of LaLiga clubs, including Atlético Madrid.
Those assessments make Gabon’s situation even more frustrating. The player is not leaving international football because he can no longer compete at a high level. He is leaving because his relationship with the national team has broken down.
Gabon Must Now Prove It Can Move On.
There is another way of looking at the situation, however. Gabon cannot build its future around a 37-year-old striker forever. At some point, the Panthers were going to have to develop a team capable of competing without their greatest modern goalscorer.
The responsibility now falls on the coaching staff, the federation and the next generation of Gabonese players. They must prove that the national team is more than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
That will be difficult, especially when the striker is scoring every week in Spain and reminding everyone of what Gabon has lost. But international football rarely waits for perfect timing. The 2027 AFCON qualifiers are coming, and Gabon must begin its next chapter whether it is ready or not.
The biggest question is therefore not whether Gabon can find another Aubameyang. It cannot. The real question is whether Gabon can finally build a team strong enough that it does not need one player to carry its ambitions.
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