Injured Payet exits Europa League final early in tears
Dimitri Payet's Europa League final lasted a little more than half an hour.
With Marseille already down 1-0 to Atletico Madrid, the teary-eyed Frenchman had to be subbed off with an injury, making way for Maxime Lopez.
Tough to see. Dimitri Payet in tears as he's forced to come off due to injury #OMAtleti #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/BdZYrF0BeA
— Jonah Takalua (@Destaquito2) May 16, 2018
According to BBC Sport, Payet was dealing with a thigh issue leading up to the final, though it's unclear if the same ailment forced Les Olympiens' captain off the pitch. The injury could have ramifications for France's World Cup squad, too, as manager Didier Deschamps is set to name his players Thursday.
If Payet's ailment rules him out for the quadrennial competition, he would be the second French player to have his World Cup hopes erased due to an injury in this season's Europa League. Laurent Koscielny was deemed unfit for the World Cup earlier this month by Deschamps after the Arsenal centre-back suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid.