Last of a Dying Breed

Oct 11, 2024

While the Barclaysman trend died out a few weeks ago, one player’s brief impact remains noteworthy. For what feels like a blip in the tapestry of time, Dimitri Payet ruled the Premier League.

During his short yet memorable time in the league, he ended up being the last gasp of a certain type of player.

Payet’s terrorizing of the Premier League is one of the most memorable moments in recent Premier League memory. Not often does a player break out in the way he did before returning to relative obscurity.

Unlike others in this trend, Payet still had an excellent career after leaving West Ham. Additionally, most scouts knew the Frenchman, and his surprising success didn’t come out of thin air. Instead of flaming out, Payet cooked the league and returned back to the club that meant so much to him, Marseille.

He also symbolizes one of the last truly great central attacking midfielders. Since his departure, most players in that vein moved out to the wing. Just look at how Jack Grealish’s career plays out at City.

Perhaps it’s fitting that Payet disappeared as his role died out in football, like the memories of an era coming back just as that time ends.

Few players compare to Payet in the Prem. Not a flameout but rather a player who just didn’t want to play in the league.

When he arrived in West London, Payet joined several Marseille players who left the historic club for different shores. For such a historic club, Marseille continues to spiral through financial issues. While it’s never been made clear if Payet made the push away, Marseille’s finances necessitated the move.

PHOTO: West Ham United FC/Facebook

Despite a few great seasons in France, Payet debuted as a relative unknown to the English footballing world. At just 28, Payet joined a promising West Ham prime at just the right point in his career. Similar to where West Ham now finds itself, the club hoped that the Frenchman would lift them to European competitions.

Payet spent just two seasons playing for the Hammers, but his mixtape is more impressive than most players who spend years in England. Just about every fan holds a special memory of the French international.

Impossible goals from insane angels followed by the crispest freekicks known to man are his legacy. Whenever people reminisce on this specific era of the Prem, it’s impossible not to bring up this magician. The club never won anything, but this era remains special for Hammers fans.

Unlike almost everyone who found themselves in the trend, Payet’s career didn’t peter out. In fact, he played a key role on some great Marseille sides that reached a Europa League final. If he hadn’t gotten injured in that final, it’s almost certain that he would have been on that World Cup-winning side.

Payet’s rise to prominence has few rivals.

Out of nowhere, the league’s most exciting player popped up, and he faded into the night, still winning.

As he left the Prem, so did the style of play that he brought. Payet’s career coincided with the slow death of the center-attacking midfielder.

Throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, the center-attacking midfielder remained the most important role in the sport. Zidane, Kaka, and Ronaldinho marked the stars of an era that produced everyone wanting to be number ten. Gliding across the field and creating beauty out of nothing, these icons gave the sport everything.

However, as the years ticked towards the 2020s, Payet became a relic of a bygone era. Pep’s revolution pushed traditional tens to the wings in order to pull defenses apart. This move did forever change the winger position, but some players never made the transition.

Greats like Messi had no issue moving out onto the wing, but others like James Rodriguez saw their careers fall apart. Payet stayed true to his position upon return to France and still had a wonderful career.

His story seems unique compared to his contemporaries. Jack Grealish’s career arc thus far resembles that of Rodriguez. He was a highly creative attacking force that thrived under a striker who saw all that zapped from him.

Pep’s influences are almost impossible to escape, as his style forced the exciting Grealish to be a cog in a larger machine. Forced out onto the wing, the player must fit Pep’s rigid system and become a contributor rather than the key. The player who electrified Villa fans is gone and has been replaced by a Bernardo Silva clone.

At the time, Payet never seemed to be the canary in the coal mine that would signal the end of the traditional number ten. However, the decline of his contemporaries proves that he made his exit at the right time.

Payet always played with a unique style that was unapologetically his. While the Prem only saw that briefly, his light never truly dulled upon returning to France.