The modern professional footballer can be fed reams of data, from resting heart rate to rate of oxygen consumption to distance run, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's eyes will zoom in on one particular number each time he is handed a dossier.

"Speed, of course. Everybody knows about my speed. It's all my life," the Arsenal striker told The Straits Times without hesitation yesterday. "I like to watch videos of my matches and training and read data about my speed and distance. That's important as it helps me improve every day.