Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang paid a moving tribute to his late grandparents as he celebrated his second goal for Barcelona in their win over Real Madrid.
The La Liga giants put their bitter rivals to the sword on Sunday with an incredible 4-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Aubameyang was a standout performer in El Clasico with two goals and an assist, opening the scoring in the first half and adding a second after the break having set up Ferran Torres to extend the lead.
The former Arsenal star broke two records with his good display for Barca, whom he joined on a free transfer in January, and celebrated his second goal by putting two fingers to his forehead and holding a ball with his other hand.
Speaking after the match, Aubameyang explained the gesture was a reference to popular anime television show Dragon Ball Z and he had “wished” he could score for his grandparents.
“It was a ball from Dragon Ball. With it you can make a wish,” he said. “I wanted to win and score a goal for my grandparents, who are gone. A friend of mine gave it [the ball] to me. I thought about it today.”
Aubameyang’s double took his tally in a Barcelona shirt to nine goals in 11 games and he appeared to hit back at his former critics, such as Gunners legend Paul Merson, after his latest superb showing.
Merson had described Aubameyang as “finished” as his time at the Arsenal wound down after Mikel Arteta’s decision to strip him of the captaincy. And in a Twitter post sharing his celebration alongside a picture from Dragon Ball Z, Aubameyang simply wrote: “Hello from the finished player.”
