Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has described the three-way share of the Premier League Golden Boot as a proud moment for African football.
Aubameyang, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane all finished the 2018-19 season with 22 league goals. It was the first time three players had shared the award, and all three were African internationals: Aubameyang plays for Gabon, Salah for Egypt and Mane for Senegal.
A final-day finish
Salah went into the last round of matches on 12 May 2019 one goal ahead of the other two. Mane scored twice in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Aubameyang also struck twice in Arsenal’s 3-1 victory at Burnley, while Salah did not score against Wolves.
After the game Aubameyang said he was happy and proud to share the trophy with two players he liked, and that it was a good sign for the continent. He thanked his team-mates for helping him reach the total in what was his first full season in England after joining from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.
Mixed feelings
The striker said that, for all his goals, the season had left him disappointed because Arsenal had finished fifth and missed out on the Champions League places. He pointed to the Europa League final against Chelsea in Baku later that month as the chance to end the season with a trophy. Chelsea won that final 4-1.
He also said the English game had been a physical adjustment after the Bundesliga, but that the league’s standing was clear: all four European finalists that year, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal, came from the Premier League.
Sources: Premier League final-day results (12 May 2019), post-match interviews with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.