The France international playmaker was superb at his best, but a real handful at his worst. He will never be forgotten in east London, though…
Dimitri Payet has gone down in history as one of the finest, most skilful players to ever grace the West Ham shirt. A brilliant, mercurial playmaker with the skill to thread the needle, as well as the dip in his shoulder to beat a man in the centre of the pitch, not only was he integral to the success of Slaven Bilic’s Hammers, he earned plaudits from across Europe.
During his time in east London, he was both West Ham’s best player and eventually a Ballon d’Or nominee – capping a rise that began on the island of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean.
What perhaps isn't known is that he had a false start to his career, having been snapped up by Le Havre, who had an existing relationship with his club in Reunion, Saint-Pierroise. He spent four years there as a youth player, but he was accused of a lack of motivation and professionalism, and subsequently returned to the island to play for Excelsior.
It would not be the last time that Payet had his attitude and behaviour called into question; as gifted and talented as he is, it is fair to say that he has left under a cloud at more than one club. A tortured genius, perhaps, but at his best, the attacking midfielder was not just worth indulging; he was worth building an entire team around.
Getty ImagesComeback kid
Even Payet admits that his return to Reunion came about because he “wasn’t an easy person to handle”, and he felt that his dreams of a professional career were in tatters. Not only had he struggled to adjust to life in France, but he was also small, and his youth coaches felt he was simply too weak to play in the top-flight.
When he played for Excelsior, Reunion’s best team, he stood out, but one report claims that Nantes only happened upon him by chance. A scout visited the island for a seminar and happened to see Payet playing while he was there. He insisted that the player be brought with him to France, and Nantes struck a deal.
Having gone through with the move, Payet starred briefly in a documentary about young players on the up, and his time at Nantes came with no end of difficulties, as he had a public row with Manchester United legend Fabien Barthez and could not save his side from relegation.
Their going down allowed him to demand a transfer, and Saint-Etienne were interested, striking a deal for £4m, but again they were almost relegated to Ligue 2, with Payet’s main contribution being a staggering loss of control in which he headbutted his team-mate Blaise Matuidi.
But he was playing at the top level, and across 148 appearances for the club, he contributed 57 goals, either scoring or assisting.
AdvertisementGetty Images'Next Eden Hazard'
After a 13-goal season in 2010-11, Lille took a punt on Payet. They had just lost Eden Hazard to Chelsea and Payet, both in terms of his profile and his ego, fitted like a glove as a replacement. Nineteen goals and 31 assists add up to 50 goal contributions in 95 appearances, at a rate of a contribution every 0.52 games; Hazard’s average was one every 0.53 games.
One superb effort against Reims was illustrative of Payet’s quality; he took the ball 40 yards from goal, ran forward, shimmied, and unleashed a drive into the top corner. Solo talent and a piledriver of a finish.
He was voted into the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, having finally taken the mantle of main man, and bet on himself when he joined Marseille for a fee of around £10m and from there, he eventually hit unforeseen heights.
A middling first season led to a second in which he registered 21 assists and scored seven goals. Only two players had as many assists that season in Europe's top-five leagues: Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne.
Magic tricks in east London
It was in 2015, upon his move to West Ham, when Payet exploded into the consciousness of a global audience, as he became the main man at a club playing in the biggest league in the world.
His age – Payet was 28 when he moved to England – meant the Hammers did not face the competition they might have done had he been a couple of years younger, and they were able to snaffle him up from Marseille for just £10m. Payet said upon his arrival that he had “been given a lot of responsibility”, and he paid it back in spades.
In 2015-16, Payet was one of the Premier League’s best players; he scored nine goals and registered 12 assists in just 30 games, and some of them were truly outrageous.
His free-kick against Crystal Palace is arguably the greatest set-piece in modern English top-flight history; on the edge of the box, he hit the ball so hard, and with such dip, that it appeared to be heading over the crossbar until the very last moment, when it suddenly nestled in the top corner. It was as much a goal as it was a magic trick.
That wasn't his only brilliant goal of the game, either, as Payet followed it up by sitting goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey down before chipping the ball into the back of the net having been sent clean through.
The season ended with West Ham's final game at Upton Park, and Payet played a key role, as the Irons beat Manchester United, with the France international providing the cross for Winston Reid’s winning goal.
Euros icon
During his time with West Ham, Payert earned a call-up to France's Euro 2016 squad, and he was nothing short of brilliant. He scored three goals – the pick of which came in the tournament opener against Romania, as he unleased a sensational drive into the top corner with his weaker left foot – and provided three assists as Les Bleus reached the final on home soil.
Playing primarily as a left winger, Payet's driving pace and penchant for the spectacular saw him become indispensable throughout the tournament, although it would ultimately end in disappointment, as the hosts were beaten by Portugal in the final.