Dimitri Payet

2.1. Early career in Réunion

Payet started his youth career at local club AS Saint-Philippe in Réunion. Coaches at the club described him as "a kid who stood out from his comrades." After three years of development training, he moved to JS Saint-Pierroise, one of the island's top clubs. He spent only a year at Saint-Pierroise before being recruited by Le Havre AC in metropolitan France.

2.2. Move to Le Havre and AS Excelsior

Payet's time at Le Havre was marked by difficulties over four years. He was accused of having a challenging character and a lack of motivation, which ultimately led to his departure in 2003. Following this, Payet returned to Réunion and signed with AS Excelsior, where he played for a year and a half in the Réunion Premier League. In January 2005, Nantes offered him another opportunity on the mainland, signing him to a two-year amateur deal with an option to terminate after six months.

3.1. FC Nantes

Upon joining Nantes, Payet was initially placed in the club's reserve team, which competed in the Championnat de France Amateur, the fourth tier of French football. During the 2005-06 season, he quickly established himself as one of the reserve team's standout players, scoring six goals in 22 matches. His performances earned him a call-up to the senior team in December 2005 by manager Serge Le Dizet. Payet made his professional debut on 19 December 2005, appearing as a substitute in a goalless draw against Bordeaux. After the winter break, he remained with the senior team and scored his first professional goal in a 4-1 victory over Metz, netting the goal within two minutes of coming on as a substitute. However, after a league match against Toulouse on 4 February, Payet was sent back to the reserve team for the remainder of the season.

Ahead of the 2006-07 season, Payet signed a three-year professional contract and was officially promoted to the senior squad, receiving the number 31 shirt. He made his first professional start on 9 September 2006 against Lille, scoring the equalizing goal in a 1-1 draw. Two weeks later, he scored the opening goal in a 2-1 win against Marseille. Payet continued as a starter for the rest of the campaign, scoring his only other goal of the season in a 1-1 draw with Sedan. A notable incident during this period was a straight red card in a 5-2 loss to Valenciennes. Despite Payet's individual success, Nantes finished 19th and were relegated to Ligue 2 for the first time since 1963.

3.2. AS Saint-Étienne

Following Nantes' relegation, Payet expressed his desire to remain in the top division, leading to a transfer request. He eventually signed a four-year contract with Saint-Étienne for a transfer fee of 4.00 M EUR ahead of the 2007-08 season. Payet described the move as a "straightforward logical answer" that offered him the opportunity to play, which was his priority.

In his first season at Saint-Étienne, Payet struggled to establish himself, making his club debut on 4 August 2007 in a 1-1 draw with Monaco. Despite being a starter for most of the campaign, he recorded no goals or assists. However, Saint-Étienne finished fifth, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. In the 2008-09 season, Payet regained his form. He was honored with the captaincy during a friendly match against the Réunion national team upon his return to the island. That season, he appeared in 30 league matches, scoring four goals and providing six assists. His first league goal for the club came on 29 September 2008 in a 1-1 draw with Bordeaux. In December 2008, he scored the game-winning goal against his former club Le Havre.

Payet made his European competition debut in the 2008-09 edition of the UEFA Cup, scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 win against Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv on 18 September. In the group stage, he scored in a 3-1 win over Danish club Copenhagen. He was instrumental in the team's 5-2 aggregate victory over Greek club Olympiacos in the knockout rounds, assisting a goal in the first leg and netting the opener in the second. Saint-Étienne was eventually eliminated by German club Werder Bremen with a 3-2 aggregate loss. On 22 July 2009, Payet signed a two-year contract extension, committing to the club until 2013.

In the 2009-10 season, Payet maintained consistent performances, featuring in 35 league matches, scoring two goals, and providing six assists. He also performed well in cup competitions, particularly the Coupe de France, where he scored a double in a 4-1 victory over Lorient on 24 January 2010, and the winner against Vannes two weeks later. Saint-Étienne reached the quarter-finals before losing to Lens. On 18 May 2010, Payet was involved in a physical altercation with teammate and captain Blaise Matuidi during a 1-0 defeat to Toulouse. After being criticized for a lack of aggression, Payet struck Matuidi's head before being separated. He was substituted after 31 minutes and sanctioned by the club president. Payet later apologized, and both players described the incident as a "lack of maturity."

Payet started the 2010-11 season strongly, scoring seven goals in the first two months of domestic play, including a goal in the opening 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. On 29 August 2010, he scored his first professional hat-trick in a 3-1 victory over Lens. After the international break, he scored a double against Montpellier. On 25 September, Payet scored a perfect free-kick goal in the team's Derby du Rhône match against Lyon, which was the only goal in a 1-0 upset victory, described by local media as "superb and untouchable." This win temporarily placed Saint-Étienne in first place. For his performances, Payet was awarded the UNFP Player of the Month award for September. His strong form attracted interest from clubs like Chelsea and Liverpool. In January 2011, he sought a move to Paris Saint-Germain, but Saint-Étienne refused. A frustrated Payet failed to show up to training to force the transfer, resulting in his demotion to the reserve team before a match against Montpellier on 5 February 2011. Payet returned to the line-up for the next match against Lyon on 12 February. In his last 14 matches of the 2010-11 season, he scored five goals and provided three assists, finishing as Saint-Étienne's top scorer with 13 goals.

3.3. Lille OSC

On 28 June 2011, Saint-Étienne manager Christophe Galtier confirmed that Payet was on the verge of signing with defending league champions Lille, a move confirmed by both clubs hours later. Payet signed a four-year contract, with the transfer fee reported at 9.00 M EUR, plus future incentives.

Payet debuted for Lille in a 5-4 Trophée des Champions loss to Marseille on 27 July 2011. His Ligue 1 debut for the club came in the 2011-12 season opener against Nancy on 6 August. On 15 October, he scored his first goal for Lille in a 3-1 win at Auxerre. Three days later, Payet made his UEFA Champions League debut as a 62nd-minute substitute in Lille's 1-0 home loss to Italian club Internazionale. He finished his first season at Lille with six goals and six assists, starting in 23 of the team's 38 league matches.

In his second season at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, following the sale of Eden Hazard to Chelsea, Payet became a regular in Lille's attack, starting all but one of the team's Ligue 1 matches. By the winter break, he was recognized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel as the league's top assist-maker, with seven assists in 19 matches, and had also scored six goals. On 18 May 2013, Payet was named in the UNFP's Ligue 1 Team of the Season. He ended the season as the league's joint-top assist-maker, alongside Mathieu Valbuena, with 12 assists. He also scored 12 league goals, marking the second-highest scoring season of his career.

3.4. Marseille (first spell)

On 27 June 2013, Marseille signed Payet for a fee of approximately 11.00 M EUR. On his debut, he scored two goals within the first 15 minutes, contributing to a 3-1 victory over newcomers Guingamp on 11 August.

In his second and final season with Marseille, Payet's career underwent a significant transformation under the guidance of manager Marcelo Bielsa, who was appointed in May 2014. Payet later told L'Équipe that he "clicked with him" and that Bielsa "made me more mature and consistent" and "put order into my game." He stated that he still carried Bielsa's advice in his head. Bielsa's assistant, Jan Van Winckel, highlighted that Bielsa was the first to recognize Payet as a playmaker rather than a winger, describing him as "probably the best player in the world, together with Andrés Iniesta, with his back to the goal" due to his exceptional technical gifts and agility, which made it "almost impossible to get the ball from him."

During this season, Payet recorded more successful through-balls than any other player in Europe's top five leagues, with the exception of Lionel Messi. He also delivered almost twice as many key passes as any other player, and topped the Ligue 1 assist charts with 17 assists in 36 league appearances. On 17 May 2015, he was named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season by the UNFP for the second time.

3.5. West Ham United

On 26 June 2015, Payet joined Premier League club West Ham United on a five-year contract, with an option for an additional 12 months. The transfer fee West Ham paid to Marseille was reported to be 10.70 M GBP. Payet later stated he had not intended to leave Marseille that summer, but his sale was necessitated by the club's concerns over financial stability, as sales of other players like Florian Thauvin and Giannelli Imbula had stalled.

On 9 August, he made his Premier League debut against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, providing a free-kick assist for Cheikhou Kouyaté's opening goal in a 2-0 win. Six days later, he scored his first goal for the team in a 1-2 home defeat to Leicester City. Payet scored twice against Newcastle in a 2-0 win at the Boleyn Ground on 14 September. On 9 November, he was sidelined for an estimated three months after sustaining an ankle injury from a challenge by Everton's James McCarthy in a 1-1 home draw on 7 November. He scored his first goal upon returning from injury on 12 January 2016, equalizing with a curling free-kick that struck the underside of the crossbar in a 3-1 comeback win against AFC Bournemouth. His Man of the Match performance earned him a standing ovation from West Ham fans when he was substituted.

In February 2016, Payet signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract with West Ham, reportedly worth 125.00 K GBP a week, committing him to the club until the summer of 2021. In March, Payet was named the Premier League Player of the Year at the 2016 London Football Awards. On 13 March, he scored a "sublime" and "spectacular" free-kick from 35 yd as West Ham drew 1-1 at Old Trafford against Manchester United in an FA Cup quarter-final.

Following an outstanding first season in English football, Payet was shortlisted by the Premier League for the 2016 PFA Players' Player of the Year Award. In May 2016, he became the 38th recipient of the West Ham United Player of the Year award. After an impressive spell at Euro 2016, West Ham United awarded Payet a 1.00 M GBP loyalty bonus in an effort to deter interest from other clubs, a decision that drew criticism after his eventual departure.

3.6. Marseille (second spell)

Following the takeover by American businessman Frank McCourt, Marseille launched their "OM Champions" Project, aiming to bring in new talent. This led to the acquisitions of Morgan Sanson and Patrice Evra. Both the coaching staff and the Marseille board had been eager to bring Payet back to the club since the beginning of the January 2017 transfer window.

On 12 January 2017, West Ham United manager Slaven Bilić announced that Payet no longer wanted to play for the club. He was subsequently omitted from the matchday squad on 14 January. A mural at the London Stadium honoring Payet as Player of the Year was guarded by security to prevent vandalism. West Ham rejected two bids from Marseille, stating they did not wish to sell the player and preferred him to apologize to fans and continue playing. However, on 29 January, West Ham accepted an offer of 25.00 M GBP from Marseille for Payet's transfer, marking a club-record sale for West Ham. The day after his move, Payet's mural at the London Stadium was removed and replaced with one commemorating Andy Carroll's bicycle kick goal against Crystal Palace scored earlier that month.

Payet made his second Marseille debut in a 2016-17 Coupe de France clash with Lyon on 31 January 2017, appearing as a substitute in extra time as his new club won 2-1. On 8 February, Payet scored his first goal since returning to Marseille in a 2-0 home victory over Guingamp.

On 3 May 2018, Payet played in the Europa League semi-finals away to Red Bull Salzburg, where Marseille secured a 3-2 aggregate win despite a 1-2 away loss, earning a place in the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final. During the Europa League Final against Atlético Madrid, Payet suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted in the 32nd minute, leaving the field in tears. Marseille went on to lose 3-0.

On 10 August 2018, during Marseille's 4-0 victory over Toulouse, Payet scored the first two goals of the 2018-19 Ligue 1 season. The second goal was a converted penalty awarded using video assistant refereeing (VAR) technology, marking its first usage in French football.

In the 2019-20 season, Payet led the team's attack, scoring 12 goals and providing 6 assists, helping Marseille finish second and qualify for the next season's UEFA Champions League. In the 2020-21 season, he recorded his 100th assist in Ligue 1 in a match against RC Lens in May, finishing the season with 10 assists, the second-highest in the league.

In the 2021-22 season, Payet was involved in an altercation with opposing fans during a match against Nice on 22 August 2021. After being struck by a plastic bottle thrown by a fan, Payet threw the bottle back into the crowd, leading to a pitch invasion and physical clashes between fans and players, resulting in injuries to Payet and two other players. In November 2021, a match between Lyon and Marseille was abandoned after a water bottle thrown by a fan hit Payet on the head as he was preparing to take a corner kick.

In the 2022-23 season, on 8 October, Payet scored his 100th Ligue 1 goal against AC Ajaccio. This achievement made him the first player in Ligue 1 history, and only the 11th player in Europe's top five leagues, to record both 100 goals and 100 assists in a single league. On 6 May 2023, during a match against RC Lens, Payet was involved in a sideline scuffle where he slapped Lens assistant coach Yannick Cahuzac, leading to a five-match suspension. His last game for Marseille was against Angers, where he scored a goal.

On 21 July 2023, Marseille president Pablo Longoria and Dimitri Payet announced a mutual agreement for his departure as a free agent. Payet concluded his time at Marseille with a total of 67 assists, and his 106 Ligue 1 assists stand as the highest record in the 21st century.

3.7. CR Vasco da Gama

On 17 August 2023, Payet joined Brazilian Série A side Vasco da Gama on a two-year contract. He made his debut on 3 September in a 1-1 away draw against Bahia. He became a regular in the team's lineup and scored his first goal on 18 October against Fortaleza, securing a 1-0 win at Estádio São Januário and helping Vasco move out of the relegation zone. He was awarded the Man of the Match for his performance. On 12 November, Payet scored a free-kick in extra time to secure a 2-1 league victory at home against América Mineiro.

4.1. Youth career

Payet is a former French under-21 international. He made his debut for the team in February 2007 in a friendly match against Switzerland, where he assisted a Jérémy Ménez goal. In the team's subsequent match against Denmark, he scored two goals in a 3-1 win. He made a total of 11 appearances and scored four goals for the under-21 team between 2007 and 2008.

4.2. Senior career

Payet received his first call-up to the senior national team from manager Laurent Blanc for the Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Romania and Luxembourg. He made his international debut in the former match on 9 October 2010, coming on as a substitute for Karim Benzema in the 86th minute and assisting Yoann Gourcuff's goal to make the score 2-0. Three days later, he again came on as a substitute against Luxembourg and assisted another goal for Gourcuff.

Payet scored his first international goal on 7 June 2015, coming on as a substitute and netting France's third goal in a 4-3 home friendly defeat by Belgium. Six days later, he was substituted at half-time in a 1-0 away friendly defeat by Albania. After a period of absence from the squad, Payet was recalled in March 2016 for matches against the Netherlands and Russia. His performance on 25 March in a 3-2 win against the Netherlands in Amsterdam was highly praised by manager Didier Deschamps; Payet hit the post with a shot and created six chances, more than double any other player, and had the most touches with 89. Four days later, with his first touch after replacing Antoine Griezmann, he scored a 30 yd free-kick against Russia and later assisted Kingsley Coman to secure a 4-2 win.

In May 2016, Payet was named in the France squad for Euro 2016. He was named the Man of the Match for his performance in the opening match of Euro 2016 on 10 June, a 2-1 win for France against Romania. In that match, he assisted Olivier Giroud's header in the 57th minute and scored France's second goal in the 89th minute with a curling and powerful left-footed shot from 6.6 ft ^{(2 m)} outside the penalty box. In France's second group match against Albania on 15 June, Payet was again named Man of the Match, creating six scoring chances and supplying 17 crosses. He scored the second goal for France in a 2-0 win in the 96th minute. On 3 July, he scored and assisted in a 5-2 quarter-final win over Iceland at the Stade de France, as the hosts advanced to the semi-finals. In the final of the tournament on 10 July, Payet was involved in a collision with Cristiano Ronaldo while challenging for the ball, which resulted in an injury to the Portuguese forward, forcing him off after 25 minutes. Payet was later substituted, and Portugal eventually won the match 1-0 in extra time.

Payet sustained an injury during the 2018 UEFA Europa League final, which ultimately led to him missing out on France's victorious 2018 FIFA World Cup squad. According to his mother, he was not personally informed of his omission by manager Didier Deschamps and "found out watching on television like everyone else, with the family." He concluded his international career with 38 appearances and 8 goals for the senior national team.

6.1. Club Honours

• Coupe de la Réunion: 2004 (with AS Excelsior)
• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2017-18 (with Marseille)

6.2. International Honours

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2016 (with France)

6.3. Individual Honours

• UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2012-13, 2014-15, 2021-22
• Marseille Player of the Season: 2014-15, 2021-22
• PFA Team of the Year: 2015-16 Premier League
• West Ham United Hammer of the Year: 2015-16
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016
• Premier League Goal of the Month: October 2016
• UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2017-18
• UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season: 2021-22

7.1. Club Statistics

7.2. International Statistics

:France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Payet goal