The World’s Still Struggling To Understand Dimitri Payet’s Absurd Weekend Volley

31-year-old Frenchman Dimitri Payet scored the goal of the weekend during Marseille’s 4-0 beatdown of Guingamp in Ligue 1 action Sunday. The mercurial attacker has built a reputation for the spectacular over the last few years — including a sensational but ultimately ill-fated stint with West Ham — but his volley from nearly 25 yards out over the weekend was the sort of audacious finishing that the division hasn’t seen since Zlatan Ibrahimovic was representing PSG.

A defensive header made its way to Payet outside of the area in the 73rd minute, and the attacker shocked everyone by striking a side-footed, knee-high effort with remarkable pace and accuracy. 

Guingamp keeper Karl-Johan Johnson got a hand to it, but he was obviously not anticipating this piece of magic from Payet and couldn’t do anything about the ball’s trajectory.    

Stunning from Dimitri Payet pic.twitter.com/74SzaO2Olb

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 17, 2018

It’s nice to see Payet back to his best after his extremely unfortunate finish to last season. He was injured in the 32nd minute of Marseille’s Europa League final match against Atletico Madrid, and that thigh injury then forced him to miss France’s World Cup triumph.