Today on the side of Vasco da Gama, in Brazil, Dimitri Payet had two major opportunities to defend the colors of Olympique de Marseille. The first took place after his arrival from LOSC during the summer of 2013 for a transfer estimated at 13 million euros. The second marked his return to the Marseille club during the 2017 winter transfer window, a year and a half after a stint at West Ham in the Premier League.
Asked about BFM Marseille, the French attacking midfielder shared some secrets behind the scenes of his comeback with Ciel et Blanc, which cost around 30 million euros. The native of Saint-Pierre wanted to pay tribute to Jacques-Henri Eyraud, president of OM at the time, for his decisive role in his repatriation.
Payet’s heartfelt thanks to Eyraud
“To whom do I owe my return to OM? I have a gratitude that will be eternal, it is the president of OM, who at the time was Jacques-Henri Eyraud”recalled the 2016 European vice-champion. “He told me: ‘I want you to come back and I will do whatever it takes to get you back.’ And we fought until January 28, 29, and it was hard. Because at one point, I told myself that it was going to be complicated to do. But he never gave up on this negotiation. »
“He never let go of me because we talked often. And he allowed me to realize my dream of coming back and having my family come back home, and then living these incredible seasons behind… It’s an eternal gratitude that I have to President Eyraud and to the shareholder, who had put his hand in his pocket. It remains a significant transfer at the time for OM. These are the two people that immediately come to mind.”Payet said.
