The mercurial Frenchman has opened his league account for Marseille – you can forgive West Ham supporters for feeling a little nostalgic.
Fortunately, the danger of West Ham United being dragged into an unexpected relegation battle is all but over. The club are now eleventh, just goal difference away from the top half of the table and, bizarrely, in a much more secure position now than at any point in the first half of the season.
Even Dimitri Payet could not inspire such a resurgence after a poor start not aided by new surroundings and underperforming signings. In fact, even with the mercurial Frenchman attempting to pull the strings and weave his wand, West Ham spent the first half of the season teetering on the edge of the relegation zone.
Therefore, this makes his scarcely believable lobbed goal in Marseille’s 4-1 thrashing of Lorient far easier to bear. Plucking a driven corner kick out of the air with a gravity-defying first touch, Payet then feathered a sublime lob over the goalkeeper’s head with his other foot. He didn’t even need to look at the goal.
It’s the sort of mercurial, montage-worthy magic that made him such a revered figure not just at West Ham but all across English football. It was also his first league goal since returning to Marseille under a cloud in January, his reputation in tatters and the respect he earned over 18 thrilling months destroyed by his refusal to fulfil his contractual obligations.
It’s no surprise then that Hammers supporters are hardly queuing up to congratulate the man they used to adore. They may miss him, secretly, but they’re doing just fine without him too.
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