Thierry Henry: 'Payet plays like a wounded man'

The former Arsenal and France striker reserved special praise for Dimitri Payet's performance in the opening match against Romania at Euro 2016 yesterday, June 10.

Payet was a regular in France's 2014 World Cup qualifiers but was ultimately left out of the final squad for Brazil. And Henry believes Payet's emotional display against Romania yesterday showed how much the 1987-born midfielder was hurt by the incident two years ago.

"He thought he would go to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. He played in all the qualifying matches. But then he wasn't picked. You could see a broken man on the pitch," Henry commented on BBC radio after France's 2-1 win.

Payet almost cried with emotion when he was substituted.

Payet started the match and contributed the most. He assisted Olivier Giroud to open the scoring, before sealing the deal himself with a superb long-range left-footed strike with just two minutes left in the second half. When he was substituted, Payet was almost in tears. The frustration of being abandoned for so many years seemed to well up inside him.

"You saw a man who wanted to play for the national team, a man who wanted to say 'You didn't choose me to go to Brazil, I'll show you what you're missing, I'll show you I came to the Premier League to play so you'll recognise my talent'. This game he wanted to show that. He wanted to be involved in every move. Every time he makes a difference, you have to acknowledge that. The team is important, you can't win on your own, but that shot, oh my God...", the former Arsenal and France striker trailed off when referring to Payet's masterpiece.

Last April, Henry conducted an exclusive interview with Payet about his impressive first season at West Ham. Therefore, the former player nicknamed "Titi" showed a lot of sympathy for his junior Payet. "I never experienced the feeling of missing out on the World Cup even though I was always sure I would be selected. It's a dream for every kid and they took it away from him. Payet was fantastic. Not just because of the way he played or his skills but also because of his desire. He was the one who pushed the team forward, and he was the one who wanted it the most."

According to VNE