Aubameyang scores 5 goals in 5 games and matches a record only Ibrahimovic held

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is enjoying a start to the season to remember. The 37-year-old Deportivo de La Coruña striker scored again in the win over Getafe at the Coliseum and now has five goals and two assists in the first five matchdays of LaLiga. With that return, the Gabonese star has matched a milestone that had not been achieved in 17 years, since Zlatan Ibrahimovic produced the same blistering start for Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

• Aubameyang has 5 goals and 2 assists in his first five LaLiga games for Deportivo.
• He has scored in all five matchdays and has kept the team unbeaten in European positions.
• He matches the goal-scoring start Ibrahimovic enjoyed with Barcelona in the 2009-10 season.
• He is Deportivo's main attacking force: 5 of the team's 9 goals carry his signature.
• He will chase a sixth straight goal on Wednesday at Riazor against Sevilla.

A historic LaLiga debut at 37 years old

Few expected Aubameyang to become one of the standout names of the competition when Deportivo brought him in from Marseille at the age of 37. Five matchdays later, his impact has erased any doubt. His goal at the Coliseum extended his scoring streak to five consecutive games, a start that very few players have managed in Spain's top flight.

Of the nine goals scored by the Galician side so far this league campaign, five have been struck by the Gabonese forward. His contribution goes beyond scoring: his two assists and relentless work rate have made him the team's most decisive player. Those numbers put him firmly in the conversation for the most valuable player of the early season.

The Ibrahimovic record that seemed untouchable

The record Aubameyang has just matched belonged to a global football legend. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, during the 2009-10 season, managed to score in his first five matchdays with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. Since then, nobody had repeated a similar sequence in LaLiga until the Deportivo striker delivered it in the current campaign.

The parallel with the Swede is a reliable measure of the level the Gabonese is showing. Any doubts about adapting to a new league at an advanced age have been left behind. His performances have been so impressive that even from inside the dressing room he is singled out as a reference for the rest of the squad.

Hidalgo and the dressing room hail his leadership

Auba is spectacular. We are not going to discover the talent he has. In the 92nd minute he tracked back brilliantly and for us he is a mirror. We will keep pushing him to stay at that level.

Antonio Hidalgo's words reflect Aubameyang's influence beyond his goal-scoring numbers. The coach highlights his defensive commitment in particular, visible in a recovery run made in the 92nd minute of the last match. That effort in thankless work is, for the manager, the real difference-making quality of a world-class player.

Teammate Ximo Navarro was equally lavish in his praise, describing the Gabonese as a global star. In a dressing room in need of hierarchy after returning to the top flight, Aubameyang has embraced the role of sporting and emotional leader for a Deportivo side dreaming of staying in the fight for Europe.

Next target: six straight games on the scoresheet

Aubameyang's immediate challenge is to extend his run on Wednesday, when Deportivo host Sevilla at Riazor. Should he score for a sixth consecutive game, the Gabonese would edge closer to another milestone in the club's history: the seven goals registered by Walter Pandiani, although the Uruguayan did not achieve that figure in his debut season.

The game against the Andalusian side will be a demanding test for a Deportivo team that remains unbeaten and settled in the European places of the table. With Aubameyang in this kind of form, the Galician side's chances inevitably depend on his ability to keep punishing opposition goalkeepers.

A world star reborn at Riazor

Aubameyang's arrival at Deportivo was interpreted through the lens of nostalgia, as a bet on an illustrious striker in the final stretch of his career. Five matchdays later, the Gabonese has turned that signing into a masterstroke. His adaptation has been immediate and his influence on the team's play has been total.

On Wednesday, with Riazor as the stage, Aubameyang will have the chance to reaffirm his status as the most in-form player in LaLiga. Every goal he scores writes another chapter in a story that is not looking to end, but to keep going for as long as possible.