page_title: Dimitri Payet
section_title: West Ham United
hierarchical_section_title: Dimitri Payet / Club career / West Ham United
caption_attribution_description: English: West Ham United player, Dimitri Payet warming-up before their Premier League defeat of Liverpool at the Boleyn Ground, January 2016.
context_page_description: Dimitri Payet is a French professional footballer who plays for Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille and the France national team. 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.
context_section_description: On 26 June 2015, Payet joined Premier League club West Ham United on a five-year contract, with the option for an extra 12 months. The transfer fee West Ham paid to Marseille was reported to be £10.7 million. Payet had not intended to leave Marseille in the summer of 2015. Rather, his sale was subject to Marseille's concern with financial stability after the sale of players such as Florian Thauvin and Giannelli Imbula had stalled. On 9 August, he made his Premier League debut against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and provided the free kick assist for Cheikhou Kouyaté to head in the opening goal of a 2–0 win. Six days later, he scored his first goal for the team, albeit in a 1–2 home defeat to Leicester City. Payet scored twice against Newcastle in a 2–0 win at the Boleyn Ground on 14 September. On 9 November, he was ruled out with an injury for an estimated three months after damaging his ankle in a tough challenge from Everton's James McCarthy in a 1–1 home draw on 7 November. He scored his first goal from his return from injury in a 3–1 comeback win against AFC Bournemouth on 12 January 2016, equalising with a curling hit free-kick that went in off the underside of the crossbar, which was praised by several pundits. His Man of the Match performance received a standing ovation from West Ham fans as he was substituted in the 78th minute for Alex Song.
  In February 2016, Payet signed a new five-and-a-half year contract with West Ham that would pay him £125,000 a week, committing him to the club until the summer of 2021. That March, Payet was named the Premier League Player of the Year at the 2016 London Football Awards. On 13 March, he scored a free kick, described by some journalists as "sublime" and "spectacular", from 35 yards (32 m) as West Ham drew 1–1 at Old Trafford against Manchester United in an FA Cup quarter-final.
  Following an outstanding first season in English football, Payet was named Premier League Player of the Year at the London Football Awards in March and shortlisted by the Premier League for the 2016 PFA Players' Player of the Year Award. In May 2016, Payet became the 38th recipient of the West Ham United Player of the Year award.
caption: Payet in West Ham colours, January 2016
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