Inside the day Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang played at non-league Newcastle ground

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the former Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund superstar known for his extravagant lifestyle off the field and blistering pace on it.

His collection of stunning cars, jewellery and famous £2,500 Swarovski crystals-encrusted boots give the air of a man who firmly enjoys the lavish side of being footballer.

But prior to becoming Barcelona’s latest star and a world-renowned striker, Aubameyang once had to slum-it by playing at a non-league ground in Newcastle.

Before kicking a ball for the Gunners, the Gabon captain’s first outing on English soil was in fact at Grounsell Park – home of Heaton Stannington – who play in the tenth level of the football pyramid.

The bizarre occurrence came when Aubameyang, at the time playing for St Etienne in Ligue 1, along with the rest of the Gabon Olympic football squad needed a warm-up game ahead of their first match at St James’ Park for the 2012 Olympics.

After failing to secure a game against Newcastle United and their under-21s, manager Derek Thompson offered his amateur side as the national team’s opposition.

And after a quick ground-check by the Gabonese, the match went ahead in what turned out to be a memorable 4-0 defeat.

Assistant manager Geoff Walker told Chronicle Live: “It was June, it was close season for us, so we weren’t training at all. We weren’t due back for pre-season for a good few weeks and some of the lads had plans for the Sunday already – so it was a bit of a scratch side. But it was a great occasion.

“They were at the Hilton, so there I was driving with him [Aubameyang] in the back thinking ‘Don’t let anyone come into the back of me here’. He said hello but he was quite a shy lad.

“I knew quite a bit about Aubameyang at the time. He was banging goals in the French first division at the time. I think he had been out to AC Milan, but he didn’t play much for them – he was obviously their stand-out player.”

Team captain Joe Wear had the monumental task of marking Gabon’s star player, who did not disappoint.

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Walker said: “He was absolutely amazing. I’ve never seen pace like it at first hand – certainly not on this pitch.

“All the lads were talking about it afterwards. They couldn’t believe the pace he had. They’d never come across anything like that. His movement was amazing, he just glided.

“That’s the best way to describe it – he was gliding across the pitch, it was a sight to see, it really was.

“They thanked us afterwards for the good, competitive game. We didn’t disgrace ourselves."

Aubameyang signed a shirt for the Stannington players and even sat in their clubhouse for a little while, though the food on offer did not seem to appeal to him.

Walker added: “We offered them some food after the game like we do for all the away teams. It was pie and peas. They politely declined.”

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