“Payet has arrived! Today is like a public holiday”. Like thousands of other supporters of the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, Leticia Silva, 19, came at dawn on Wednesday to welcome the French community as a hero at the international airport of Rio de Janeiro, to the rhythm of frenzied percussion. After leaving Olympique de Marseille in tears last month, Dimitri Payet, 36, is treated to a carnival-like atmosphere upon his arrival in Rio.
The fans of Vasco, a very popular team, but which vegetates in the penultimate position of the Brazilian championship, have even prepared new songs especially for him. “Payet, Payet, Payet, eho, eho, eho, ohohoho!” chanted the crowd, taking up the melody of “Prefixo de Verao”, a classic carnival from Salvador de Bahia. The supporters were already there, pressed against the security gates, several hours before the player’s arrival.
“Payet, I love you”
With drawn features, but all smiles, Payet advances towards them, stands on a platform to greet them and puts on a black jersey with a diagonal white stripe from his new team, flocked in his name, with the number 10. Wearing a bob with the image of the Força Jovem supporters group, he holds out his phone for a selfie with the thousands of people cheering him on. “I’m really happy to arrive, to receive all this fervor from the supporters and I’m really looking forward to playing football,” rejoices the Frenchman, speaking briefly to journalists.
In front of him, smoke bombs, giant flags, and even some faces painted in blue, white, red, the colors of France. “Payet, I love you”, can we read in French on the notebook shown through the grid by Ranyelli Souza, a 22-year-old student. “Our team is in a bad patch, we need him. He accepted this challenge, he is an idol at Olympique de Marseille and I’m sure he will also become an idol here,” he said. he. At OM, Payet played eight and a half seasons (2013-2015 then 2017 to 2023) for 326 matches, 78 goals and 95 assists, but he did not win a trophy.
He will wear number 10
The former French international (38 matches, 8 goals) has signed a pre-contract with Vasco until 2025. The final contract should be initialed soon in Rio, after a medical examination. In Brazil, he will wear the number 10 immortalized by “King Pelé”, but also worn by emblematic Vasco players, such as former striker Roberto Dinamite, who died in January, or more recently former Parisian Nenê. But this club founded by members of the Portuguese community in Rio is far from its glory days. Back in the top flight after two long seasons in the second division (2021 and 2022), he was relegated mid-championship.
“Payet came to help us get out of this bad patch,” says Peterson Ramos, a 27-year-old motorcycle taxi driver who “didn’t sleep all night” to arrive at the airport at 4:00 a.m. On Tuesday, before flying to Brazil, Payet told RMC Sport that Vasco was “the choice of football and not money”. “In terms of fervor and football I couldn’t find better than Brazil and Vasco, so I’m happy,” he said. “It’s the best choice he could have made. It’s 5 a.m., our team is penultimate in the championship, but we’re here, with all this fervor”, summarizes Jhonny Barbosa, 27-year-old supporter.