Hammers fans should feel privileged they got to see the French magician in their shirt, not angry that he wants to leave.

It was hard not to listen to a broken Slaven Bilic’s press conference and nod along with every word. Yes, West Ham had given Dimitri Payet everything and, in return, he had let them down. But sometimes ‘everything’ is not enough.

Let’s rewind back to the opening match of Euro 2016. With stars from far bigger clubs, like Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann floundering, Payet popped up, with a minute left, to strike the ball perfectly into the top corner from the outside of the area and become as adored in France as he was at Upton Park. I can only imagine the pride West Ham fans felt when they saw one of their own mixing it with the very best and coming out on top.

Then he went and scored another brilliant late goal in the next game and was a key player in helping his country reach the final. Lionel Messi won player of the tournament at the World Cup after contributing less than Payet did at the Euros.

Amid the usual variety of overblown summer transfer rumours, there was one linking Payet to Real Madrid, and at the time it would have taken a brave man to tell him he wasn’t good enough to play at the Bernabeu.

But it was this proudest of moments, when he transformed from a Premier League star to a global star, that put him on an inevitable collision course with West Ham.

Payet did not fall out with the club or request a move in the summer, because in many ways he believed too strongly in his own ability. He must have thought, after guiding the Hammers to 7th place, that he could take the club to the next level, pushing for Champions League qualification. Having signed a new five-year, £125,000-per-week deal, he must have also felt like he owed the club for their loyalty, as Bilic claims he still does.

There was also the matter of a new stadium and plenty of signings from overseas that had played in the Champions League and seemed extremely exciting when they joined.

But ultimately it turned out the club did not have the structure in place to regularly compete with this season’s top six, and they were instead sucked into a relegation battle.

Despite all this, Payet soldiered on. He still entertained fans at the London Stadium and was the standout player in game after game. His incredible solo goal against Middlesbrough was a particular highlight. Indeed he sulked a bit in December and produced some poor displays, but he’s not the first and won’t be the last top player to have a few bad games.

If Payet was younger, I would argue that he should be motivated to help West Ham reach that next level, and show more pride in the shirt. But the reality is he is 29-years-old and has never had the chance to test himself on the biggest club stage. Some things are worth more than money and he may feel that his whole career has been wasted if he doesn’t achieve that.

I remember around eight years ago watching Payet in the Europa League with Saint-Etienne, certain that he was destined for a top side in England or Spain. But what followed instead were sideways moves to Lille and Marseille. The reason he dipped off the radar? A string of transfer requests while at Saint-Etienne, where he refused to turn up to training.

West Ham knew from the player’s history the kind of character they were getting, but they rightly overlooked that because of Payet’s incredible talent. Yet now they act like they are the ones who have been shortchanged by one of the best players they’ve ever had, because he dares to want to fulfil his potential while he’s still in his prime.

Nantes, Saint-Etienne, Lille, Marseille, West Ham. That sounds like the career path of a top player in the 1970s and 80s, not today. Whether West Ham let him go or not is up to them, but Payet is right to want to hang up his boots with more to show for his immense talent.