- Dimitri Payet scored 15 goals for West Ham United between 2015 and 2017
- He has netted five times in 50 Serie A games for current team Vasco da Gama
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Former West Ham United playmaker Dimitri Payet appears to have bulked up significantly since he left the Premier League.
Multiple fans took to social media this week to comment that they could barely recognise the 37-year-old, who is now playing for Brazilian club Vasco da Gama.
One fan wrote: ‘I ain’t ever seen a footballer look so much like a rugby player in my life’. Another added: ‘He is so big for football’.
Unfortunately, Payet’s newfound muscular physique does not appear to be helping his game. He has scored just five goals in 50 Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A appearances since joining Vasco from Marseille in August 2023.
According to a report by Brazilian radio channel Globo, Vasco are considering terminating Payet’s contract before June 2025 when it is due to expire.
Former West Ham United star Dimitri Payet pictured (right) earlier this month playing in Brazil
Some fans have been shocked by Payet’s size, while Vasco da Gama are reportedly considering letting him leave before his contract expires due to his disappointing level of performance
Payet pictured celebrating a goal for West Ham against Blackburn Rovers in February 2016
Vasco bosses are said to be unhappy with the level of Payet’s performances.
Payet – who represented France 38 times between 2010 and 2018 – spent two seasons at West Ham from 2015 to 2017.
He scored 15 goals in 60 appearances for the Hammers, including 11 in 48 Premier League games.
Payet – who is now aged 37 – also delivered 18 Premier League assists.
After leaving West Ham in 2018, Payet spent seven seasons playing for French side Marseille, where he had also played in the two years before moving to the east London club.