Aubameyang says Marseille lost focus during difficult final season

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says Olympique de Marseille’s failure to qualify for the Champions League is the only regret from his second spell at the club, which ended after the 2025-2026 season.

The striker reflected on his time at Marseille in an interview with L’Equipe, describing the campaign as particularly difficult and expressing disappointment that the team did not secure a place in Europe’s leading club competition.

“It was a really difficult season,” Aubameyang said.

He also criticised the atmosphere around the team, arguing that Marseille were unable to maintain the focus required to deal with the demands surrounding the club.

“The atmosphere was not healthy,” he added. “At Marseille, you have to be able to create your own bubble and not allow yourself to be influenced by anything from outside. That is what we did not do last season, and it cost us dearly.”

Aubameyang’s comments point to a lack of concentration and protection from external pressure during his second period with Olympique de Marseille. Rather than identifying a sporting issue alone, the forward highlighted the wider environment around the team as a factor in the season’s outcome.

His assessment is particularly significant because he regards Champions League qualification as the one achievement that eluded him during the campaign. Aubameyang did not point to another specific disappointment, instead focusing on the consequences of the atmosphere surrounding the squad and the team’s inability to shut out outside influence.

The forward’s second spell at Olympique de Marseille therefore ended with a sense of frustration. His remarks suggest that the club’s failure to reach the Champions League was not simply a matter of results on the pitch, but also reflected difficulties in maintaining a united and focused environment.

Aubameyang’s view is that Marseille needed to establish a stronger internal separation from the noise around the club. He believes that failing to do so had a direct cost, ultimately preventing the side from achieving the qualification target he most wanted to secure.

His comments come as he looks back on a season that he considers unsuccessful in that respect. While he did not list several regrets, he made clear that Champions League qualification remained the outstanding objective, and that the conditions around the team made it harder for Olympique de Marseille to reach it.

The striker’s departure after the 2025-2026 season has now brought his second passage with the club to an end. In his account, the campaign will be remembered chiefly for its difficult atmosphere and for the missed opportunity to return Marseille to the Champions League.