Aubameyang breaks Real Madrid promise to grandfather after Barcelona move
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 1 Feb 2022 10:25 GMT
- 3 min read
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completed a deadline day transfer to Barcelona from Arsenal.
The Gabon international started the current campaign as the Arsenal captain, but was subsequently stripped of that title by Mikel Arteta due to disciplinary issues.
The most recent issues at the club were believed to be involving time keeping, and as it wasn't Aubameyang's first offence, Arteta not only made the decision to remove him as captain, but also to exile him from training and matchday squads.
Arteta ultimately decided that Aubameyang had played his last game for Arsenal, which naturally generated speculation regarding a January transfer window move away.
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The player reportedly turned down a few clubs in the middle east, while a return to Milan was mentioned only for that move to fail to materialise due to his salary demands.
Aubameyang was on £350,000 per week at Arsenal, and this initially proved to be a stumbling block in his eventual move to Barca.
The transfer was on, then off, then on again on deadline day, and he eventually agreed a salary reduction to make the move happen.
However, rather interestingly, Aubameyang's move to Barcelona comes after he previously revealed details of a promise he made to his grandfather regarding Real Madrid.
What did Aubameyang say about Real Madrid?
His grandfather, a Spaniard, was a Real Madrid fan, and Aubameyang made him a promise that he would attempt to play for Los Blancos in his career.
"Before he died two years ago I promised him that one day I would play for Real Madrid," he told L'Equipe.
"My grandfather was from Avila, not far from Madrid.
"It’s what I said to him. I know it’s not easy but it’s something I keep in mind.
"I celebrate my goals with a cartwheel in honour of Hugo Sanchez.
"I've seen many videos of him on the internet and I’ve been following him since I was a boy."
