Payet named Marseille captain

From despondent in east London to content on the Cote d'Azur, Dimitri Payet is again enjoying his football at Marseille to the dismay of West Ham supporters.

And the France international has been rewarded for his efforts, with the club announcing Wednesday that the 30-year-old Reunion Island product will sport the captain's armband.

Related: Payet admits he left West Ham because he was 'bored'

Payet returned to Marseille in January after dubiously forcing his West Ham exit, and almost immediately appeared a player reborn with the club he enjoyed two seasons at before the Premier League switch. With Rudi Garcia and Co. returning to continental play on the heels of a fifth-placed campaign, he'll be expected to lead a side rife with young attacking talent.

The 35-time capped Les Bleus string-puller will take the reins from last season's skipper, Galatasaray-bound Bafetimbi Gomis, and the free-kick wizard's appointment comes as former captain Steve Mandanda returns to the Stade Velodrome after a disastrous one-year sabbatical at Crystal Palace.

Considering Yohann Pele's breakthrough campaign last season as Mandanda's replacement where the towering shot-stopper appeared in all 38 of Olympique's 38 Ligue 1 affairs, it's uncertain what role the former captain will play this season, likely prompting Payet's designation.

Payet will get the chance to sport the captain's armband for the first time when OM welcomes Belgian first-tier Oostende to the south coast on July 27 for the first leg of Europa League third qualifying round action.