'The end of a beautiful journey' – Payet announces retirement from football

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ShareDimitri Payet has called time on his playing career after 21 years, having been without a club since leaving Vasco da Gama.Former France and West Ham star Dimitri Payet has announced his retirement from football.He has called time on his career after 21 years in senior football, having been without a club for nine months following two years at Brazilian side Vasco da Gama.Payet's career began at Nantes, but he rose to prominence with Marseille in June 2013, netting a brace within the first 15 minutes of his debut against Guingamp.He later moved to West Ham in June 2015, where he made 60 appearances in all competitions across his 18 months at the club, netting 15 goals.However, he returned to Marseille in January 2017, where he stayed until the end of the 2022-23 season. He made 326 appearances with the club across two spells, scoring 78 goals in total."I want to take two minutes to thank everybody – to thank all those who shared these 20 years with me. It was something exceptional," he said during a half-time interview during the match between Marseille and Lille on Sunday."I come from an island, and my dream was to become a professional. I made it and did it ‌for 20 years at the highest ​level. I managed to play for the ‌national squad, and today is the end of a beautiful journey."Payet earned 38 caps for France and played a significant role in the team's run to the Euro 2016 final, which they lost to Portugal.The 38-year-old built a reputation as a set-piece specialist during his career, scoring 14 direct free-kick goals during his time in the top five European leagues and providing a further 58 assists from set-plays.