French attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet has joined Brazilian club Vasco da Gama on a free transfer. The former Marseille player will wear number 10 for the team.
The 36-year-old left Les Phocéens at the end of the previous season, one year before his contract was set to expire, and has since relocated to Rio de Janeiro.
The former French international played for the team for eight seasons across two stints, appearing in 326 games and contributing 95 assists while doing so. Notably, he scored 16 goals in all competitions in the 2021–2022 season and guided the side to the Europa League final in 2018. However, last season, hea coach Igor Tudor dramatically reduced his playing time.
According to Vasco da Gama, the former player for Nantes, Saint-Étienne, and Lille will be in Brazil soon to undergo his medical and sign a contract with his new team.
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. Following the season, in June 2011, Payet joined the defending champions Lille signing a four-year contract. He had two years there and a further two at Olympique de Marseille before moving abroad to join West Ham United. In 2017 he moved back to France to join his old team, Marseille.
Payet is a French international. From 2007 to 2008, he represented his country at under-21 level, making eleven appearances and scoring four goals.
In 2010, he was called up to the senior team by manager Laurent Blanc for the first time. Payet made his international debut on 9 October 2010 in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Romania, appearing as a substitute. He was a member of the French squad that reached the final of UEFA Euro 2016.
