Aubameyang, 37, set for Deportivo debut as a more mature off-ball striker

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will make his debut this Saturday afternoon in Oviedo (7:30 PM, YouTube RCD and TVG) as a new Deportivo player. The appearance marks the first tangible step in a surprising and exciting move.

At 37 years old, the striker arrives at Riazor as one of the most striking signings in LaLiga. A native of Laval, where he grew up in an environment that lived for and through football, he is expected to bring goals and experience to Hidalgo's team.

Evolution of a Striker

A winger in his early days due to his speed, Aubameyang evolved into a lethal center forward. His power in space, his runs, his first-touch finishing, and his pressing ability made him one of the most dangerous attackers of his generation.

Over the years, he has managed to transform his way of interpreting the game. So what Aubameyang can we expect in A Coruña?

"The one of yesteryear, from Borussia, Saint-Étienne, or Arsenal, was a striker who asked for the ball to feet a lot and changed pace, while the current one is a more mature forward. He plays better without the ball than with it," analyzes Andrés Onrubia, a specialist in French football, for Sport, from the same group as LA OPINIÓN.

"Those breaks contribute a lot to the team, and he is a player who, thanks to that game intelligence he has acquired, allows him to be more damaging in runs into space," he adds.

Stint at Barcelona

This will not be the first time Aubameyang plays in LaLiga. He holds a privileged place in the hearts of Barcelona fans.

His time was brief but successful. He landed at Camp Nou during the winter market of 2022, at a time marked by the club's financial difficulties and the need to revitalize a team going through a sporting crisis. Despite his good performance and the bond he had created with the fans, he ended up heading to Chelsea just a few months later. The London club paid €12 million.

Recent Form at Marseille

After an adventure at Al-Qadsiah, Aubameyang returned last summer to Olympique de Marseille with the aim of once again enjoying the demands of European football:

"He went from more to less because he started very well, being decisive in the Champions League, but you also have to contextualize that Marseille was a powder keg from December onward. De Zerbi left, they were eliminated from the Champions League, and the situation became unsustainable."

Even so, he remains very fast:

"He is the fastest top-speed striker over 30 years old in the top five leagues and the one who makes the most runs behind the defense."

He accumulated over 2,700 minutes, with 14 goals and 10 assists — more than notable numbers for a 37-year-old footballer.