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Football

21st Mar 2022

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang aims dig at doubters after El Clasico heroics

Simon Lloyd

Aubameyang appeared to aim a thinly veiled dig at the Arsenal fans who doubted him

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has fired another reminder to those who claimed his time at the top was over, scoring twice as Barcelona mauled Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Sunday.

Aubameyang opened the scoring in the Clasico after half an hour, then added another early in the second half as Xavi’s rejuvenated Barca breezed to a 4-0 victory.

The 32-year-old left Arsenal by mutual consent in January, agreeing a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Camp Nou days later.

Having failed to score in his final six appearances for the Gunners, some Arsenal supporters questioned whether the Gabonese striker was now capable of performing at the top level.

His start at Barca – where he has scored nine times in 11 appearances – serves as evidence that he still has plenty to offer, a point he was keen to make after the game at the Bernabeu.

Aubameyang tweeted an image of the Dragon Ball Z-inspired celebration he used to mark his second goal against Madrid, captioning it ‘Hello from the finished player’.

Many have interpreted it as a thinly veiled dig at the Arsenal supporters who had claimed his days as one of the best goal-scorers on the planet were done.

Barca’s win in Madrid adds weight to the sense that the club are on the right path under Xavi, who replaced Ronaldo Koeman as manager in November.

Despite crashing out of the Champions League at the group stage in December, Sunday’s win was their fifth in succession in La Liga. This moves them to third place, with fears that the club might miss out on qualifying for next season’s Champions League now easing.

“I want to tell the truth, I think this is the beginning of the new era, with so much talent and so many young players as well,” Aubameyang said to Barcelona’s in-house media channels after the game.