PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG has revealed the surprising inspiration behind his iconic backflip celebration.
The Gabon striker scored a hat-trick for his new club Barcelona against Valencia on Sunday.
And he launched into his trademark acrobatics, which he has performed since even before his time at Arsenal.
But in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Auba has revealed that a Real Madrid legend inspired the somersaults.
Aubameyang said about his celebration: “I remember that I started a long time ago at home watching videos.
“If I’m telling the truth, it was from a player who played for the other team – Hugo Sánchez.”
Mexican icon Sanchez won five league titles in seven years at the Bernabeu.
The 63-year-old played more than 200 times for Real Madrid having joined from local rivals Atletico.
Aubameyang created history with his hat-trick for the Catalan giants at the weekend.
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The 32-year-old became the first player ever to score hat-tricks in the Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga and French Ligue 1.
The Gabon striker scored 37 league goals in 87 games for St Etienne in France, which earned him a move to Dortmund.
He’d also had loan spells at Dijon, Lille and Monaco in the country of his birth.
Aubameyang hit the ground running under Jurgen Klopp in Dortmund and continued his hot-streak after the manager left.
The 32-year-old scored 98 times in the Bundesliga before moving to Arsenal.
And Aubameyang banged in 68 Premier League goals at the Emirates before falling out with Mikel Arteta.
Aubameyang had netted seven times in 15 games for Arsenal this season before being left out in the cold back in December.
He was the subject of a disciplinary breach after returning back late from a trip abroad.
This led to him being stripped as captain.
And he did not feature again for the club before his contract was ripped up and he joined Barcelona last month.
He has taken a significant wage reduction in order to play for the Spanish giants.
But he is off and running at the Nou Camp in a bid to revive his career and one of Europe’s great clubs.
