Dimitri Payet, 38, the former French midfielder (38 caps, 8 goals) – who played for Nantes, Saint-Étienne, Lille, and Marseille – announced his retirement on Sunday, March 22, in a poignant moment during the OM-LOSC match broadcast on Ligue 1+.
“It’s today, it’s raining, it’s not for nothing,” he said, under a downpour in Marseille, his eyes filled with tears. “I’ll take two minutes to thank everyone, those who have shared these 20 years with me. It has been something exceptional for me.”
A key player in France’s journey to the Euro 2016 final (lost to Portugal, 1-0 a.e.t.), the Réunion-born player left Europe in 2023 for a final adventure in Brazil with Vasco de Gama. Without a club since the summer of 2025, he hangs up his boots after leaving his mark in the French and English leagues, where a memorable free-kick during his time at West Ham (2015-2017) is still remembered.
Injured just before the 2018 World Cup, he missed out on Deschamps’ Russian adventure and has only one Réunion Cup win in 2004 in his career. However, this does not diminish his immense talent, evident from his three Ligue 1 best assist titles (2013, 2015, 2018) and his 17th place in the 2016 Ballon d’Or ranking.
He will also be remembered as the first French player to achieve a total of 100 goals and 100 assists in the league. He holds the record for the most assists in the competition’s history (106).
