Not since Roger Milla symbolised Cameroon’s campaign in the 1990 World Cup has a man from Reunion so captured the heart of a tournament as Dimitri Payet, the star of the opening match and most compelling reason to watch France, who overcame Romania with his late and great goal, resume against Albania tonight.
Actually Milla had only been playing in Reunion when he travelled to Italy. Payet was born on the French island in the Indian Ocean, as was the former Newcastle technician Laurent Robert. And, like Robert, he seemed to suffer from a diffidence that irritated team-mates; once at St Etienne, it caused an altercation with Blaise Matuidi.
They soon made up and became international colleagues. But, while Matudi was always going to be in Didier Deschamps’s team for this tournament, Payet didn’t even figure in the squad a year ago. He had done well enough at Lille and Marseille without quite achieving the demigod status he was to acquire at West Ham.
So a paltry £8million brought him to London. But now he’s on a greatly enhanced five-year contract — and a lot of people still think it might not be enough to keep him. Because Payet is not just the king of the assists, not just maintaining a good scoring record from positions between midfield and attack. He also produces magic.
That’s my only worry. Because Payet was kicked out of two midwinter months with West Ham and the refereeing here has been English — in other words, indulgent — to a fault. Fingers crossed. But let’s assume that all goes well: whatever West Ham have to do to keep him, they should do it.
For now, Payet is French property, along with five other Premier League members of Deschamps’s opening team, not least Olivier Giroud, who scored against Romania from Payet’s customary immaculate service. The Arsenal man, like the pride of West Ham, is in form at an exciting time.
