Over a year on from his last competitive game, Dimitri Payet is calling it quits.
The cult hero from Marseille, Lille, Saint Etienne and West Ham last played for Brazilian side Vasco de Gama on December 8th, 2024.
Announcing it was over just before 39, he said in tears: “On the eve of my 39th birthday, I officially announce my retirement as a professional footballer.
“My dream was to become a professional, and I managed to do so for twenty years at the highest level.
“I also played for the national team. This is the end of a great adventure.”
Payet announced the decision before OM took on another of his former sides, Lille.
“It’s symbolic for me to announce this here. I feel at home. A chapter of my life closes today, a new one begins.
“The desire to play is still there, but at 39, the body is different. The demands of football are very complicated.
“I didn’t want to be part of a project where I couldn’t be 100% myself. I prefer to hand in my badge and my weapon. Emotionally, it was impossible for me to play against OM.”
Payet’s iconic career
Probably the greatest player produced by the Réunion Island, Payet played 38 times for France, scoring eight goals.
On top of that he retires as Ligue 1’s assist record holder.
Yet incredibly, Payet never won a major honour during his professional career.
The attacker was a runner-up in the 2018 Europa League with OM and the 2016 Euros with France.
He also remarkably came close with Vasco, who made the Brazilian Cup final after his departure.
Payet made just two substitute appearances in the early rounds, but that would have been enough for a first medal, before they lost in the final to Memphis Depay’s Corinthians.
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