Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shows true Arsenal colours after Real Madrid Champions League win

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has responded to Arsenal’s iconic triumph over Real Madrid.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has responded to Arsenal’s iconic triumph over Real Madrid. (Image: Getty Images)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has delivered a fitting reaction to Arsenal’s victory against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Mikel Arteta’s squad overwhelmed Los Blancos 5-1 across two legs to secure a place in the semi-finals of Europe’s premier tournament.

Holding a 3-0 advantage from the first encounter at the Emirates Stadium last Tuesday evening, the Gunners dominated from the outset in Madrid. Even though Bukayo Saka failed to convert a penalty in the first half to increase their lead, he soon redeemed himself by scoring in the 65th minute to give Arsenal the lead in the second leg.

Vinicius Jr found the net for Real Madrid, offering a sliver of hope, but that disappeared when Gabriel Martinelli completed the win with a cool finish in added time.

Following Saka’s goal, he and Declan Rice recreated the same celebration that Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette were well known for. That was when the former Arsenal strike duo used to bow to one another, left hands placed behind their backs and right hands clasped in a handshake.

The X (formerly Twitter) account B/R Football observed Saka and Rice’s gesture and shared that it mirrored the celebration Aubameyang and Lacazette frequently did during their time at Arsenal.

Aubameyang saw the post and responded with a handshake emoji.

After exiting the Gunners in February 2022, Aubameyang had spells at Barcelona and Chelsea before joining Marseille at the beginning of the 2023/2024 campaign. He had an outstanding season in France, tallying an impressive 30 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions.

Nonetheless, Aubameyang’s stint at Marseille concluded last summer when he made a move from France to Saudi Arabia. He currently represents Al-Qadsiah, having scored 14 goals in 27 appearances this season.

Despite being away from Arsenal for three years, Aubameyang—who netted 92 goals for the club—still appears to follow the team’s fortunes.

Speaking about his squad’s display versus Real Madrid during his post-match interview, Arteta acknowledged he had likely never been prouder of his players. “Probably not,” the Spaniard said.

“Not only because we’re in the semi-final for the third time in our history now, but also because of the way we did it. Not only because of the way we played – but also because of the circumstances – the amount of injuries we had. That shows the character of this team, of this club, and it’s a night to be very proud of.”

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Next for Arsenal in the Champions League is Paris Saint-Germain, who narrowly edged Aston Villa 5-4 to make it into the last four. When questioned whether the Gunners can transition from contenders to champions, Arteta said: “It’s certainly another massive step.

“Where we finished last year and the way we’re doing it this year, teams with their eyes on us and the competition, it’s incredible. Big credit to [Madrid], it was my first time as a coach in that dugout and I realised after three minutes in this stadium, anything is possible.

“They are specialists of creating such chaos and belief, and it’s very difficult to understand really what’s going on in the game and have certain certainty about how we controlled it. They showed a lot of maturity.”

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