Dimitri Payet

General

Image gallery

Dimitri Payet
Personal information
Full name:	Florent Dimitri Payet
Date of birth:	29 March 1987 (1987-03-29)
Place of birth:	Saint-Pierre, Réunion
Height:	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position:	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Vasco da Gama
Number:	10
Youth clubs
1995–1998 1998–1999 1999–2003 2003–2004	Saint-Philippe JS Saint-Pierroise Le Havre AS Excelsior
Senior clubs
Years	Club	App (Gls)
2004–2005 2005–2007 2007–2011 2011–2013 2013–2015 2015–2017 2017–2023 2023–	AS Excelsior Nantes Saint-Étienne Lille Marseille West Ham United Marseille Vasco da Gama	036 0(12) 033 00(5) 129 0(19) 071 0(18) 072 0(15) 048 0(11) 187 0(46) 000 00(0)
National team
2007–2008 2010–2018	France U21 France	011 00(4) 038 00(8)

Dimitri Payet (born 29 March 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Vasco da Gama. A set-piece specialist, known for his accurate, bending free kicks, he primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, and is described as a player who is "blessed with terrific technique and dribbling skills".

Payet was born on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean, where he began his career playing for local clubs Saint-Philippe and Saint-Pierroise. In 1999, he moved to metropolitan France, joining Le Havre. Payet spent four years at the club before returning home to spend two years playing for AS Excelsior in the Réunion Premier League. In 2005, he joined FC Nantes and, after a successful 2006–07 season, joined AS Saint-Étienne on a four-year contract. With Saint-Étienne, Payet played in European competition for the first time after featuring in the 2008–09 edition of the UEFA Europa League. In the 2010–11 season, he won the UNFP Player of the Month award for September after scoring three goals and helping Saint-Étienne reach first place in the league table. Following the season, in June 2011, Payet joined the defending champions Lille signing a four-year contract. He had two years there and a further two at Olympique de Marseille before moving abroad to join West Ham United. In 2017 he moved back to France to join his old team, Marseille.

Payet is a French international. From 2007 to 2008, he represented his country at under-21 level, making eleven appearances and scoring four goals. In 2010, he was called up to the senior team by manager Laurent Blanc for the first time. Payet made his international debut on 9 October 2010 in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Romania, appearing as a substitute. He was a member of the French squad that reached the final of UEFA Euro 2016.

Honours

Club

AS Excelsior

• Coupe de la Réunion: 2004, 2005

Marseille

• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2017–18

International

France

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2016

Individual

• 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
• UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2017–18
• UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season: 2021–22

External links

• Dimitri Payet profile at Soccerbase
• Dimitri Payet profile at the Transfermarkt

France – UEFA Euro 2016 – Runners-up

1. Lloris 2. Jallet 3. Evra 4. Rami 5. Kanté 6. Cabaye 7. Griezmann 8. Payet 9. Giroud 10. Gignac 11. Martial 12. Schneiderlin 13. Mangala 14. Matuidi 15. Pogba 16. Mandanda 17. Digne 18. Sissoko 19. Sagna 20. Coman 21. Koscielny 22. Umtiti 23. Costil Manager:   Didier Deschamps