With two goals and a standing ovation to his name, Dimitri Payet is one of the men of the moment at Euro 2016.
The French midfielder put on some dazzling displays for France in the group stage, winning hearts, breaking corner flags and pulling off the sort of midfield magic many players can only dream of.
That West Ham manager Slaven Bilic had to mount a table to give thanks for Payet’s skills only confirm things. Euro 2016 has been Payet’s tournament, and we are lucky to have him in such fine form.
With a six-day break between France’s 0-0 final group game against Switzerland (where Payet still ran the show) and their round of 16 game, many of us were sad that it’ll be a while before we get more Payet in our lives.
Luckily, it seems that being away from big stadiums hasn’t dimmed Payet’s magic, as he was seen scoring a lovely goal for a French training team in a friendly team against a Paris FC youth side.
Comme vous avez aimé le but de @dimpayet17 à l’entraînement, on vous le remet pour le plaisir ! ?@whufc_officialhttps://t.co/0Py8MchS2a
— Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) June 21, 2016
Right foot? Edge of the box? Top corner? Vintage Payet.
Please don’t leave us next season Dimitri. West Ham and the Premier League as a whole would be poorer in your absence.