Biography
Who is Dimitri Payet?
Early life and career beginnings
Dimitri Payet was born on March 29, 1987, in Saint-Pierre on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. He began his football path playing for local youth clubs including Saint-Philippe and JS Saint-Pierroise. In 1999, he moved to metropolitan France to join Le Havre, where he spent four formative years before returning to his home island to play for AS Excelsior.
During his stint back in Réunion, he featured in the Réunion Premier League for a year and a half. In January 2005, Nantes signed him to provide another opportunity on the mainland. He initially joined the reserve team in the Championnat de France Amateur, quickly impressing coaches with his technical ability before earning a promotion to the senior squad.
Club career highlights
Dimitri made his professional debut for Nantes in December 2005 during a match against Bordeaux. After Nantes suffered relegation in 2007, he moved to AS Saint-Étienne on a four-year contract. With Saint-Étienne, he experienced European competition for the first time by participating in the UEFA Europa League and later the UEFA Cup, scoring crucial goals against teams like Hapoel Tel Aviv and Olympiacos.
Following his spell at Saint-Étienne, he transferred to Lille OSC in June 2011. He subsequently played for Olympique de Marseille before moving abroad to join English club West Ham United. In 2017, he returned to France to play for Marseille once again. He later moved to Brazilian side Vasco da Gama in August 2023 and announced his retirement from professional football on March 22, 2026.
International career
Dimitri represented France at the international level starting with the under-21 team between 2007 and 2008, where he made eleven appearances and scored four goals. In 2010, manager Laurent Blanc called him up to the senior national team for the first time. He made his senior debut on October 9, 2010, in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Romania.
His most well-known international achievement came when he helped the French squad reach the final of UEFA Euro 2016. Following his impressive performances throughout the tournament, UEFA named him in the official Team of the Tournament, cementing his status as a key playmaker for his country.
Birthday and age
Dimitri Payet was born on March 29, 1987, which makes Dimitri 39 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Dimitri shares the date with 31 other famous people.
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