Hell hath no fury like a West Ham fan scorned, here’s eight players more hated than Dimitri Payet including Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea legends.
The brooding Frenchman went on strike to force through a return to former club Marseille before the close of the January transfer window.
Payet left Hammers fans with plenty of brilliant memories having played a huge part in one of their best seasons since 1986.
Even this season he produced moments of magic including two long range free-kicks against Accrington Stanley in the cup and Liverpool at Anfield as well as that solo wonder goal against Middlesbrough.
Dimitri Payet went on strike to force a return to Marseille
But once you turn your back on West Ham, supporters waste little time reminding you where their loyalties lie.
Despite Payet’s acrimonious departure, though, here are eight players more hated than Payet at West Ham.
Manchester United’s Ashley Young
8: Ashley Young
The Manchester United benchwarmer turned down a £10 million move to West Ham while at Watford, opting instead to join Aston Villa.
He then proceeded to anger Hammers fans further still by diving on a number of occasions against their team for both Villa and the Red Devils.
Young always gets plenty of stick from the West Ham faithful as a result.
Eidur Gudjohnsen in his Chelsea days
7: Eidur Gudjohnsen
Icelandic legend Eidur Gudjohnsen literally strung the Hammers along for what seemed like years as he was strongly linked with the club almost every transfer window over a three-year period.
The ultimate insult came when he finally looked set to sign for the club on loan from Monaco back in 2010 after having a medical, only to travel to North London and sign for bitter rivals Spurs instead.
It left co-owner David Sullivan fuming: “We thought we had a deal and the player had even had a medical,” he told Sky Sports at the time.
“We then heard that Tottenham were trying to speak to the player. I can’t say I am happy about it but I believe in Karma and what goes around, comes around.”
El Hadj Diouf
6: El Hadj Diouf
West Ham fans were outraged when it emerged former manager Sam Allardyce had invited the controversial El Hadj Diouf to train with his side with a view to signing him.
Supporters soon made the club aware that would not be happening after he allegedly spat at them during his time at Liverpool.
The reaction of the fans put paid to any potential move for the Senegalese, as reported by the Daily Mail at the time.
David Unsworth
5: David Unsworth
Unsworth signed for West Ham from Everton in the 1997–98 season and was a popular player with supporters.
However after just one season in East London, Unsworth asked to be allowed to leave to return to Merseyside as his family had failed to settle in London.
At the 11th hour, though, he instead opted to join Aston Villa much to the anger of Hammers fans.
But if his stay at West Ham was short, his time at Villa was over in a flash. After only a month and before the season had even begun, citing problems with the lengthy commute from his home, he returned to Everton who paid Villa the same £3 million West Ham had accepted only a few weeks before.
Paul Ince
4: Paul Ince
Homegrown Hammer Ince had established himself as the natural successor to legend Billy Bonds at West Ham.
But when they were relegated in 1989 he played just once in the Second Division the following season before completing a highly controversial transfer to Manchester United for £1 million.
Ince had been photographed in a Manchester United kit long before the transfer was complete, which appeared in the Daily Express. He was dubbed the original ‘Judas’ and received abuse from West Ham United fans for many years afterwards.
Jermain Defoe
3: Jermain Defoe
Defoe made his name in the Premier League as a youngster with the Hammers and was part of a golden generation of academy graduates to make the step up to the first team.
But it all turned sour when he handed in an ill-advised transfer request less than 24 hours after West Ham were relegated on record points back in 2003.
He then went on to be sent off three times as he began the Championship season with the club before being sold for a paltry £6million to Spurs.
Celebrating goals against the Hammers for Tottenham and biting Hammers midfielder Javier Mascherano have rendered subsequent apologies from the player about his handling of his departure from the club futile with a large section of fans.
John Terry
2: John Terry
From a family of West Ham fans, John Terry started his career on the books of the Hammers but left to join London rivals Chelsea as a teenager.
Terry was then involved in a career-long feud with Hammers supporters every time they played one another as each took it in turns to antagonise the other.
It was well publicised that Terry’s family were West Ham but that did not stop him goading their supporters by kissing his shirt and celebrating in front of them on numerous occasions. Hammers fans gave him just as much back, though, as the Blues legend would testify.
It says a lot about Terry that despite not having played for West Ham’s first team, he ranks as highly as second on the list.
Frank Lampard in his West Ham days
1: Frank Lampard
In the week that Frank Lampard called time on his glittering career, it is only right that he takes pride of place in the list.
Loathed by the vast majority of fans, Lampard’s situation is a huge bone of contention for supporters who feel their reasons for disliking him have been misconstrued by the media and rival fans over the years.
While suggestions of nepotism when Lampard was an emerging talent were regrettable, Lampard was no saint in the bitter relationship.
Lampard was a massive West Ham fan as a kid, watching his dad, Frank Senior, carve out legend status at the club.
The Romford-born former England midfield star graduated from the self-styled Academy of Football under his legendary dad and uncle Harry Redknapp, who were the management team at the time.
Lampard scored 24 goals in 148 games for the Hammers and cemented his place as a key player.
But the relationship between Lampard and the Upton Park faithful turned sour when he was sold to London rivals Chelsea and claimed he was not liked by supporters.
Lampard went on to criticise the club and its fans on numerous occasions and received abuse from the terraces whenever the two clubs met.
The fact he would invariably kiss the Chelsea badge to antagonise them further when he inevitably scored against his old side did not help matters, nor did the proclamation that he is Chelsea’s biggest fan.
They say time is a great healer and many fans have relented on their stance against Lampard while he himself has spoken in a more complimentary and considered way about his boyhood club in recent years.
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