During his time with West Ham United in the Premier League, Dimitri Payet made a name for himself thanks to his incredible ability at dead ball situations. Despite many Hammers supporters being far from pleased with the manner in which the Frenchman earned a move back to his homeland, not one of them would question his undoubted talent, with Marseille now once again reaping the rewards.
With Payet having found the back of the net in spectacular fashion numerous times during his time in East London, with an FA Cup goal at Old Trafford perhaps the pick of the bunch, the midfielder opened his account in the south of France for the second time in midweek.
Although his deflected effort against Guingamp in Ligue 1 on Wednesday night may not go down as a classic, it certainly pleased the Stade Vélodrome, with supporters undoubtedly hoping that his return can fuel an end-of-season winning run. The skill and precision of Payet from free-kicks is certainly something to behold, and despite the technology in football cleats in the modern era undoubtedly contributing to such pace and accuracy, the Frenchman has honed his talents over many years.
Marseille currently find themselves in sixth position in the table, with the likes of Monaco, PSG and Nice some 20 points ahead of them at the top of the standings. Payet’s arrival was greeted by a loss to relegation threatened Metz, however their latest win gave signs of hope for manager Rudi Garcia.
With former Premier League men Bafetimbi Gomis, Florian Thauvin, Remy Cabella and Lassana Diarra in their ranks, it may well not be long until we see a return to the big time for Marseille, with the French side winning the UEFA Champions League back in 1993. Ligue 1 certainly has its fair share of standout talent nowadays, with the likes of Marco Verratti and Edison Cavani of PSG being joined by Radamel Falcao, Mario Balotelli and Payet himself.
Marseille host both PSG and Monaco at the end of February, with Payet no doubt hoping to lead his team to what would be famous victories over their fierce rivals given their lack of success over recent years.
With their French Cup Round of 16 encounter with their south coast rivals offering a real chance of silverware come the end of the season, it will also be a chance for Garcia to make a name for himself at the Stade Velodrome, with the French manager yet to convince many supporters since his arrival from AS Roma.