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AUBA AND OUT

Arsenal ace Aubameyang ‘dreams’ of playing for Real Madrid after promise to his grandfather – but was seen as too selfless

FORMER Arsenal head of recruitment Sven Mislintat believes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's selfless attitude has cost him his "dream" move to Real Madrid.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund transfer guru was instrumental in helping the Gunners sign the Gabon striker from BVB in January 2018.

 Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has banged in eight goals already this season
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Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has banged in eight goals already this seasonCredit: Getty Images - Getty

The 30-year-old has flourished at the Emirates - netting 49 goals in 75 games - and eight goals in ten matches this season.

His form this term saw him named as the Premier League's Player of the Month for September.

Speaking to , Mislintat has praised his team player attitude, he said: "He is one, possibly the only one, of these extraordinary top, top, top strikers who is an absolute team player.

"A striker like Neymar or (Sergio) Aguero, for example, would never give a penalty to (Nicolas) Pepe to score his first goal. It’s vice versa — ‘Come on, I will take this penalty kick, nobody else!’

"Auba gave the chance to Pepe. His instinct was, ‘Let’s score and let’s go forward together.’ He takes care about his team-mates.

“Since he joined Arsenal, he played where he was asked and needed, and so he helped especially (Alexandre) Lacazette to adapt to the Premier League.

"Maybe this attitude costs him to play for clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona but maybe they made a mistake not to go for him. I like his mindset. It is good for a team’s atmosphere.”


Aubameyang's mother has spoken of her son's dream to play for Los Blancos after he promised his grandfather he would play for the Spanish side.

Speaking in 2016, she said: "My family have always been Real Madrid and I would like to see him in white.

"He promised his grandfather that he would play for Real Madrid and since he was a little boy he spoke about Madrid and never about Barcelona."

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