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Dimitri Payet

Payet with Marseille in 2021

Personal information

Full name

Dimitri Payet

Date of birth

29 March 1987 (age 38)

Place of birth

Saint-Pierre, Réunion, France

Height

1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)

Position(s)

Attacking midfielder

Youth career

1995–1998

Saint-Philippe

1998–1999

Saint-Pierroise

1999–2003

Le Havre

2003–2004

AS Excelsior

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2004–2005

AS Excelsior

(12)

2005–2007

Nantes

(5)

2007–2011

Saint-Étienne

129

(19)

2011–2013

Lille

(18)

2013–2015

Marseille

(15)

2015–2017

West Ham United

(11)

2017–2023

Marseille

187

(46)

2023–2025

Vasco da Gama

(7)

International career

2007–2008

France U21

(4)

2010–2018

France

(8)

Medal record


Men's football
Representing France
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up	2016

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:57, 17 April 2025 (UTC)

Dimitri Payet (born on March 29, 1987) is a French professional footballer. He plays as an attacking midfielder. Payet is known for his amazing free kicks and great dribbling skills. He can bend the ball with incredible accuracy.

Payet started his football journey on the French island of Réunion. He played for local clubs like Saint-Philippe and Saint-Pierroise. In 1999, he moved to France and joined Le Havre. After four years, he returned to Réunion to play for AS Excelsior.

In 2005, Payet joined FC Nantes. After a good season, he moved to AS Saint-Étienne in 2007. There, he played in European competitions for the first time. In 2011, he joined Lille, who were the champions at the time. He then played for Olympique de Marseille before moving to England to play for West Ham United. In 2017, he returned to Marseille. In July 2023, he left Marseille and joined the Brazilian team Vasco da Gama. His contract with Vasco da Gama ended in June 2025.

Payet also played for the French national team. He played for the under-21 team from 2007 to 2008. In 2010, he was called up to the senior team. He played in the final of UEFA Euro 2016 and was named in the Team of the Tournament.

Payet's Club Career
Payet's International Career
- Youth Team
- Senior Team
Career Statistics
- Club Appearances and Goals
- International Appearances and Goals
Awards and Achievements
See also

Payet's Club Career

Early Football Days

Dimitri Payet was born in Saint-Pierre, a town on the island of Réunion. He started playing football at a local club called AS Saint-Philippe. Coaches noticed his talent early on. After three years, he moved to one of the best clubs on the island, JS Saint-Pierroise.

After just one year, Payet was signed by Le Havre, a professional club in France. He spent four years there, but it was a bit tough. People said he had a difficult personality and sometimes lacked motivation. Because of this, he left in 2003 and went back to Réunion. He played for AS Excelsior for about a year and a half. In January 2005, Nantes gave him another chance to play in mainland France.

Time at Nantes

When Payet arrived at Nantes, he first played for the club's reserve team. He quickly became one of their best players. In the 2005–06 season, he scored six goals in 22 matches. His good play led to him being called up to the main team in December 2005.

Payet made his professional debut on December 19, 2005, in a match against Bordeaux. He scored his first professional goal in a 4–1 win against Metz. He had only been on the field for two minutes!

Before the 2006–07 season, Payet signed a professional contract with Nantes. He became a regular starter and scored important goals, including one against Lille and another against Marseille. However, Nantes finished 19th that season and was moved down to Ligue 2. This was the first time since 1963 that Nantes played in the second division.

Moving to Saint-Étienne

After Nantes was relegated, Payet wanted to stay in the top league. He asked to be transferred and chose to join Saint-Étienne. He signed a four-year contract, and Nantes received €4 million for him.

In his first season at Saint-Étienne, Payet found it hard to settle in. He didn't score any goals or make any assists. But Saint-Étienne finished fifth, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup. In the 2008–09 season, Payet played much better. He scored his first league goal for the club in September 2008. He also scored the winning goal against his old club, Le Havre.

Payet played in European competition for the first time in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. He scored in his debut match against Hapoel Tel Aviv. He also scored against Copenhagen and Olympiacos. Saint-Étienne was knocked out by Werder Bremen. In July 2009, Payet extended his contract until 2013.

In the 2009–10 season, Payet played consistently, scoring two goals and providing six assists. He also did well in cup games. In May 2010, he had a disagreement with his teammate Blaise Matuidi during a match. Payet apologized for the incident soon after.

Payet started the 2010–11 season very strongly, scoring seven goals in the first two months. He scored his first professional hat-trick against Lens. He also scored a fantastic free-kick goal against Lyon, which helped Saint-Étienne reach first place for a week. Because of his great performances, he won the UNFP Player of the Month award for September. Many big clubs, like Chelsea and Liverpool, became interested in him. He wanted to move to Paris Saint-Germain, but Saint-Étienne refused. He even missed training to try and force the transfer. After returning, he was temporarily moved to the reserve team. Payet finished the season with 13 goals, making him Saint-Étienne's top scorer.

Playing for Lille

Payet playing for Lille in 2012

On June 28, 2011, Payet joined Lille, who were the defending league champions. He signed a four-year contract, and the transfer fee was about €9 million.

Payet made his debut for Lille in a Trophée des Champions match against Marseille in July 2011. His first league game for Lille was in August. On October 15, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win. A few days later, he played his first UEFA Champions League match.

In his first season at Lille, Payet scored six goals and made six assists. In his second season, after Eden Hazard left, Payet became a key player in Lille's attack. He was the league's top assist-maker at the winter break.

On May 18, 2013, Payet was named in the UNFP's Ligue 1 team of the season. He finished the season as the league's joint-top assist-maker with 12 assists. He also scored 12 league goals, which was his second-highest scoring season.

First Time at Marseille

Payet playing for Marseille in 2013

On June 27, 2013, Marseille signed Payet for about €11 million. In his first game, he scored two goals in the first 15 minutes, helping his team win 3–1 against Guingamp.

In his second season with Marseille, Payet had an amazing year. He made more successful passes than almost any other player in Europe's top leagues, except for Lionel Messi. He made 17 assists in 36 league games, leading Ligue 1 in assists. Payet said that coach Marcelo Bielsa helped him a lot. Bielsa made him more mature and consistent. He also helped Payet understand that he was a playmaker, not just a winger.

In May 2015, Payet was again named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season.

Playing in England with West Ham United

Payet playing for West Ham United in 2016

On June 26, 2015, Payet joined Premier League club West Ham United. He signed a five-year contract for about £10.7 million. He had not planned to leave Marseille, but the club needed to sell players for financial reasons.

On August 9, he made his Premier League debut against Arsenal and helped his team win 2–0. Six days later, he scored his first goal for West Ham. In September, he scored two goals against Newcastle. In November, he got an ankle injury that kept him out for about three months. When he returned in January 2016, he scored a fantastic free-kick goal against AFC Bournemouth.

In February 2016, Payet signed a new contract with West Ham. In March, he was named the Premier League Player of the Year at the London Football Awards. He scored another amazing free kick against Manchester United in the FA Cup.

After a great first season in England, Payet was named West Ham United Player of the Year in May 2016.

Back to Marseille

Payet playing for Marseille in 2018

In January 2017, West Ham manager Slaven Bilić announced that Payet no longer wanted to play for the club. West Ham rejected two offers from Marseille, but eventually accepted £25 million for his transfer. This was a record sale for West Ham.

Payet made his second debut for Marseille on January 31, 2017, in a cup match against Lyon. He scored his first goal since returning to Marseille on February 8.

On May 3, 2018, Payet helped Marseille reach the Europa League final. However, in the final against Atlético Madrid, he got a hamstring injury and had to leave the game. Marseille lost the match 3–0.

On August 10, 2018, Payet scored two goals in Marseille's 4–0 win over Toulouse. One of these goals was a penalty awarded using video assistant refereeing (VAR), which was the first time VAR was used for a goal in French football.

Payet warming-up with Marseille in 2022

In August 2021, Payet and his team were involved in an incident with fans in Nice. After a fan threw a bottle at him, Payet threw it back. This led to fans coming onto the pitch, and some players and fans got into fights. Payet and two other players were injured. In November 2021, another match was stopped after a bottle hit Payet on the head.

On July 21, 2023, Payet and Marseille agreed for him to leave the club.

Playing in Brazil with Vasco da Gama

On August 17, 2023, Payet joined the Brazilian team Vasco da Gama. He signed a two-year contract. He made his debut on September 3 in a 1–1 draw. He scored his first goal on October 18, which was a winning goal that helped Vasco da Gama move out of the relegation zone. On November 12, Payet scored a free-kick in extra time to win a game 2–1.

On June 9, 2025, Vasco da Gama announced that Payet's contract had ended by mutual agreement.

Payet's International Career

Youth Team

Payet played for the French under-21 team. He made his debut in February 2007 in a friendly match against Switzerland. In the next game against Denmark, he scored two goals in a 3–1 win.

Senior Team

Payet playing for France in 2014

Payet was first called up to the senior national team in October 2010. He made his debut on October 9, 2010, in a Euro 2012 qualifying match against Romania. He came on as a substitute and assisted a goal. Three days later, he assisted another goal against Luxembourg.

Payet scored his first goal for France on June 7, 2015, in a friendly match against Belgium. He was recalled to the national team in March 2016. His performance on March 25 in a 3–2 win against the Netherlands was highly praised. Four days later, he scored a fantastic 30-yard free kick against Russia.

In May 2016, Payet was chosen for the France squad for Euro 2016. He was named Man of the Match in the opening game against Romania, where he scored a goal and made an assist. In France's second group match against Albania, he was again named Man of the Match and scored a goal. On July 3, he scored and assisted in a 5–2 win over Iceland in the quarter-finals. In the final on July 10, Payet was involved in a challenge with Cristiano Ronaldo, which led to Ronaldo getting injured. France lost the final 1–0 to Portugal.

Payet got injured during the 2018 UEFA Europa League final, which meant he missed out on playing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. France went on to win the World Cup that year.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Here's a summary of Dimitri Payet's games and goals for his clubs:

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
AS Excelsior	2004	Réunion Premier League	36	12	0		—						36	12
Nantes	2005–06	Ligue 1	3	1	1	0			—				4	1
	2006–07	Ligue 1	30	4	4	0	1	0	—				35	4
	Total		33	5	5	0	1	0	—		—		39	5
Saint-Étienne	2007–08	Ligue 1	31	0					—				31	0
	2008–09		30	4	1	0	1	0	10	3	—		42	7
	2009–10		35	2	4	3	2		—				41	5
	2010–11		33	13	1	0			—				34	13
	Total		129	19	6	3	3	0	10	3	—		148	25
Lille	2011–12	Ligue 1	33	6	3	0	2	0	4	0	1	0	43	6
	2012–13	Ligue 1	38	12	3	1	3	0	8	0	—		52	13
	Total		71	18	6	1	5	0	12	0	1	0	95	19
Marseille	2013–14	Ligue 1	36	8	2	0	2	0	5	0	—		45	8
	2014–15	Ligue 1	36	7	1	0	1	0	—		—		38	7
	Total		72	15	3	0	3	0	5	0	—		83	15
West Ham United	2015–16	Premier League	30	9	6	3	1	0	1	0	—		38	12
	2016–17	Premier League	18	2	1	0	3	1	0	0	—		22	3
	Total		48	11	7	3	4	1	1	0	—		60	15
Marseille	2016–17	Ligue 1	15	4	2	1	0		—				17	5
	2017–18		31	6	2	1	0		14	3	—		47	10
	2018–19		31	4	1	0	1	0	5	2	—		38	6
	2019–20		22	9	4	3	1	0	—				27	12
	2020–21		33	7	1	0	—		6	2	1	1	41	10
	2021–22		31	12	4				11	4	—		46	16
	2022–23		24	4	1				2	0	—		27	4
	Total		187	46	15	5	2	0	38	11	1	1	243	63
Vasco da Gama	2023	Série A	17	2	—								17	2
	2024		23	3	8	0	—				10	2	41	5
	2025		4	0	2	0	—		1	0	10	0	17	0
	Total		44	5	10	0	—		1	0	20	2	75	7
Career total			620	130	52	12	18	1	67	14	22	3	777	160

International Appearances and Goals

Here's how many games Payet played and goals he scored for the French national team:

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
France	2010	3	0
	2013	4
	2014	4
	2015	4	1
	2016	17	7
	2017	5	0
	2018	1	0
Total		38	8

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

List of international goals scored by Dimitri Payet
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 June 2015	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Belgium	3–4	3–4	Friendly
2	29 March 2016	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Russia	3–1	4–2
3	30 May 2016	Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France	Cameroon	3–2	3–2
4	10 June 2016	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Romania	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2016
5	15 June 2016	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France	Albania	2–0	2–0
6	3 July 2016	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Iceland	3–0	5–2
7	7 October 2016		Bulgaria	2–1	4–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	11 November 2016		Sweden	2–1	2–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification