PARIS (AP) — Dimitri Payet spent time in his playing career earning a reputation as one of soccer’s greatest entertainers, attracting attention for his brilliant free kicks and magic with the ball.
The 38-year-old announced his retirement on Sunday. He was out of contract after completing a spell with Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. It was perhaps fitting that Payet’s career ended in Brazil. Fans of Brazilian soccer appreciate the variety and precision of his abilities.
“On the eve of my 39th birthday, I officially announce my retirement as a professional footballer,” Payet said on France’s Ligue 1 broadcast. “I would like to thank everyone who has shared the last 20 years with me. It has been truly special.”
Payet grew up in France. Indian Ocean He moved to Réunion Island and moved to France in 1999, joining Le Havre’s youth team. After returning home for a short time and starting his career with Réunion-based Excelsior, he made a name for himself in the French league as a goal-scoring midfielder for Nantes, Saint-Etienne, Lille and Marseille.
Despite being criticized for his lack of work rate, his goals, smooth passing and vision earned him a move to the Premier League with West Ham, where he enjoyed a productive spell, scoring some great free-kicks against Bournemouth, Manchester United and Crystal Palace. West Ham fans quickly took a liking to him and even invented a song to praise him, comparing him to French great Zinedine Zidane.
Although such comparisons are an exaggeration, Payet carried that form into the national team and had his best year in 2016, when he played for Les Bleus at the European Championship in France.
He scored seven of his eight goals for France that year. That included a stunning free-kick from 35 meters against Russia, with an incredible deflection into the top left corner that left manager Didier Deschamps gaping.
Payet’s form led to him being linked with a move to Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, but he returned to Marseille and had a productive season with the southern club before leaving in 2023 to join Rio-based club Vasco.
He scored over 150 goals in his career, 78 of which were scored with Marseille. He made 38 appearances for the French national team, scoring three goals and finishing runners-up at Euro 2016.
“I’m from an island and my dream was to become a professional. I managed to achieve that and play for the national team,” Payet said. “This is the end of our wonderful adventure.” ___
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