Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has chosen football over fortune, agreeing to rejoin Olympique Marseille on a free transfer exactly one year after leaving the club for the Saudi Pro League. The 36-year-old former Arsenal and Barcelona forward is set to sign a two-year deal through June 2027, returning to a side that will compete in the Champions League this season and where he recently produced one of the most prolific campaigns of his career.
During the 2023/24 season Aubameyang was electric for Marseille, scoring 30 goals in 51 appearances across competitions and driving a run to the UEFA Europa League semifinals. His output, energy, and dressing-room influence helped galvanize a squad that fed off his relentless movement and clinical finishing.
Despite that resurgence, he departed last summer for newly promoted Saudi side Al-Qadisiyah. The move hardly slowed him down: 21 goals and 3 assists in 36 matches, a fourth-place league finish, and a King Cup final appearance underscored that his scoring touch traveled. Even so, the lure of top-tier European competition and a strong emotional bond with Marseille supporters has proved decisive.
Reports indicate Aubameyang and Al-Qadisiyah agreed to part ways amid significant interest from elsewhere in the Gulf, with richer offers on the table. He instead prioritized a return to the Stade Vélodrome, believing there is unfinished business to complete in Europe after his earlier stint re-established him among the continent’s most dependable veteran strikers.
The arc echoes his time at Arsenal, where he wore the captain’s armband and fired the Gunners to FA Cup glory before a breakdown in relations precipitated his exit. Short spells at Barcelona and Chelsea followed, but it was Marseille that rekindled his spark and reminded observers of his elite instincts in front of goal.
Now he reunites with Marseille under new head coach Roberto De Zerbi, whose high-tempo, front-foot style could again unlock Aubameyang’s timing in behind defenses. With Champions League group-stage football, a demanding domestic calendar, and a youthful cast needing guidance, Marseille gain more than goals they regain a leader, standard-setter, and proven big-game presence at a pivotal moment for the club.
At 36, workload management will matter, yet Aubameyang’s pace in short bursts and instinctive finishing remain assets whether he starts regularly or rotates through a deep attacking group. Replicating even a portion of his 2023/24 production would give Marseille an edge in tight Champions League nights and major domestic fixtures in the season ahead.