Relations between Dimitri Payet and Olympique de Marseille had already been stormy for quite a while. The fact that the Marseille captain remains training alone at the Commanderie while his teammates leave for an internship in Germany on Monday, officially for “personal reasons”, does not bode well. And then came the announcement of the holding of a press conference, this Monday at midday at the Vélodrome stadium, to formalize the inevitable: the paths of the 36-year-old former international attacking midfielder and OM separate.
“We have decided not to continue the adventure together with our captain. It took many weeks of reflection, of discussion, ”said President Pablo Longoria. Payet will be released from his last year of contract. Attached to the city and the club, the Reunionese had signed under the mandate of former president Jacques-Henri Eyraud a lease which bound him to OM until June 2024 and ensured him a retraining within the club.
Alongside Pablo Longoria, the ex-Blue (38 caps, 8 goals), in tears, announced that he wanted to “continue to play football”, after “a very difficult season with little playing time”. But the playmaker said he wanted to give himself “time” to make a decision.
His future will therefore be decided far from OM, where he will have played eight and a half seasons (2013-2015 then 2017 to 2023) for 326 games, 78 goals and 95 assists, according to statistics given by the club on Friday. A decade or so of passion, but without ever having won a single title.
A very difficult season with Igor Tudor
During his career in L1 under the jerseys of Marseille, Lille, Saint-Etienne and Nantes, he will have played 492 matches and scored 103 goals, according to the Professional Football League (LFP).
During his interlude with London club West Ham (2015-2017), he wore the Hammers jersey 49 times and scored 11 goals, before returning to Marseille.
Payet was coming out of a very complicated last year, during which he had never managed to fit into the plans of ex-coach Igor Tudor: he appeared only 26 times last season, for four goals, generally grabbing a few minutes at the end of the game. “I thank my teammates, my presidents, my coaches and everyone who has been there to ensure that I am always well, always in good shape. My family of course and OM, because OM is my family,” he said.
“Dimitri, you are a very important part of the history of this club. You have inspired a generation of OM supporters, with many very good times, great victories, shared moments,” said Pablo Longoria. “It’s not a goodbye but a see you soon. You have the doors of the club wide open,” he added. For the moment, it is in the direction of departure.