If you were to describe Dimitri Payet’s time at West Ham in love terms, it would probably be a rebound relationship that ended terribly when the other party discovered their partner was still madly in love with their ex throughout.
He jumped in, there was that magical whirlwind start, all seemed well, but when it began to slow down, he started to realise who he was truly meant to be with: Marseille.
Back in the south of France, the forward has had his share of ups and downs, still prone to pulling off that one moment that makes you forget all the frustrations from the previous 87 mins, but neither he nor the fans would swap what they have for anything in the world.
Speaking to L’Equipe about Marseille’s season so far, Payet was reminded it was nearly two years since he left the Hammers to return to Ligue 1.
He said: “I came back because I had this feeling: I left to go to West Ham without having finished my story with OM. I knew what I was getting into, that no one would let go of me, that the expectations would be huge. I didn’t come back to be left alone, to have it easy. Otherwise I’d have stayed at West Ham.
“I wasn’t expecting the captaincy. That’s an extra responsibility. I came back for this stadium, these fans, this towns. I’ve shown I’d do everything for this club, including making important sacrifices. I see myself in this club.”
During his time at London Stadium, the now 31-year-old helped West Ham to their best ever finish since 2002, scoring 15 goals and picking up 23 assists in 60 appearances in all competitions.
