When we talk about a powerful sense of observation, nobody can match ardent football fans. These ardent football fans aren’t only scrutinizing football matches, transfer gossip, player boots, and kits, but their curious minds venture into areas not noticeable by ordinary folks.
Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang, the Gabonese International, who currently plays for Olympique de Marseille, has been one of the most successful strikers of the last ten years.
Aubameyang began his professional career at AS Saint-Étienne in France, where he gained attention for his goal-scoring prowess. He played for St. Etienne from 2011 to 2013.
He then moved to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, where he became one of the top strikers in Europe. He was known for his incredible speed and clinical finishing, and he won the Bundesliga’s Golden Boot during the 2016-2017 season.
In January 2018, Aubameyang transferred to Arsenal FC in the English Premier League. He quickly established himself as one of the club’s key players, known for his dynamic style of play and consistent goal-scoring. He helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2020 and the FA Community Shield in the same year.
His career pinnacle came when he made his move to Barcelona from Arsenal, although not a top striker anymore while playing for the Catalan giants, wearing the Blaugrana color in itself is a vocation of high repute.
However, as things are these days, the recent chit-chat among fans is not because of his illustrious career at Europe’s biggest stage, but his receding hairline and his clandestine ways of hiding it. Yes, you heard that right.
Marseille met Greek club Panathinaikos, on the backdrop of UEFA Champions League qualifiers, and it went all good and bad for Aubameyang and his teammates.
Although Marseille won the second leg at home 2-1, thanks to two pre-half-time goals from Aubameyang, they ultimately lost 5-3 on penalties, having lost the first leg 1-0.
This article, however, focuses on a specific incident when Auba was celebrating with his team when he scored one of his two goals.
While celebrating, one of the Marseille players named Samuel Gigot would rub his hair, eventually rubbing off the cream he uses to cover his receding hairline. Now this is the subject of some laughter from fans, supposedly in a lighter sense.
This, however, is not the first time fans have pointed out Aubameyang’s hair fall issues. During his Arsenal days, his hair was a subject of banter and laughter among Arsenal fans as, as photos of his hopscotch hair were circulated on social media by fans, and it seems like he has taken this issue very seriously since then.
In today’s time, fans are obsessed with footballers and their life off the pitch. Now, in this case, his receding hairline has nothing to do with his form. There is no direct correlation between going bald and a missing sitter.
The thing is, with footballers collaborating with skincare and lifestyle brands, their appearance is pushed as the new metric standard of how one should look and if there are any fallacies in it, fans are quick to point out.
At times consciously just for a laugh and subconsciously as well as the perfect image of the big players is inculcated in the minds of football fans.