PARIS (AP) — Dimitri Payet called time on a playing career where he earned a reputation as one of soccer's entertainers, catching the eye with spectacular free kicks and wizardry on the ball.
The 38-year-old announced his retirement on Sunday. He was out of contract after finishing a spell with Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. It was perhaps fitting that Payet's career should end in Brazil, whose soccer-loving fans appreciate the type of skill and intricacy he was capable of.
“On the eve of my 39th birthday, I officially announce I'm retiring as a professional footballer,” Payet told French broadcaster Ligue 1. “I would like to thank everyone who shared these 20 years with me, it was something really exceptional.”
Payet grew up on the French Indian Ocean island of Réunion and moved to France to join Le Havre's youth academy in 1999. After returning briefly to start his career with Réunion-based side Excelsior, he made his name in the French league as a goal-scoring midfielder with Nantes, Saint-Étienne, Lille and Marseille.
Despite being criticized for a perceived lack of work rate, his goals, slick passing and vision earned him a move to the Premier League with West Ham, where he enjoyed a good spell and scored dazzling free kicks against Bournemouth, Manchester United and Crystal Palace. West Ham fans took to him quickly and invented a song in his honor, comparing him with France great Zinedine Zidane.
While such comparisons were an exaggeration, Payet carried his form over into the national team and enjoyed 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, including an astonishing free kick against Russia from 35 meters, hit with incredible bend and late dip into the top left corner, that left coach Didier Deschamps open-mouthed.
Payet's form saw him linked with a move to Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, but he moved back to Marseille and enjoyed several productive seasons at the southern club before leaving in 2023 to join Rio-based Vasco.
He scored more than 150 goals in his career, 78 of them for Marseille. He played 38 times for France, finishing runner-up at Euro 2016, where he scored three goals.
“I come from an island and my dream was to become a pro. I managed to do it and to play for the national team,” Payet said. “It's the end of a great adventure.” ___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jinx, the Musical,” is a documentary chronicling … Read morePremiere of Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jink, The Musical
Join us for an unforgettable evening as we set sail into the world of luxury river cruising!… Read moreLegendary Rivers & Tours Expo
San Francisco Symphony players get together in an intimate setting of the Gradus Ad Parnassu… Read moreSoirée Française: Our Favorite Violin Sonatas
Planning your dream wedding? Discover everything you need at the Wedding Fair in the Park – … Read moreWedding Fair in the Park
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.