Carl Jenkinson names player at West Ham who was a better free-kick taker than Dimitri Payet. Dimitri Payet left West Ham United on a sour note in 2017, but he left some unbelievable memories behind.
The all-action playmaker did things on the pitch that West Ham United fans will remember until the end of time and he was the pure definition of getting fans off their seats. Carl Jenkinson was lucky enough to share the same training ground and pitch with Payet during his time at the London club.
The 32-year-old, who is now a free agent, spent two loan spells in East London from 2014 to 2016 and he got to see Payet at his peak. From the Frenchman’s solo goal against Middlesbrough, his rabona against Watford and his free-kick against Crystal Palace.
Many moments left fans gobsmacked that’s why Payet was the best player Michail Antonio has played with at West Ham. The former Marseille star was a prime example of a player who should be judged on what you watch rather than what the stats tell you.
Payet was rewarded by being named in the 2015/16 PFA Team of the Year, that’s why many Hammers fans regard him as the best they have seen in the modern era.
But Jenkinson offered an insight into a forgotten player at West Ham, who was better than Payet at free-kicks, in fact, he was the best he’s ever seen.
Nene had a brief spell at West Ham in 2015, but Jenkinson was adamant ‘he is the best free-kick taker I have ever seen’ and how he was ‘scary’ in training, as he told talkSPORT (04/09/24 at 5:45 pm).
Now 43 and long retired, Nene did represent Paris Saint-Germain during his career and played for several clubs across Europe and South America.
Nene a better free-kick taker than Dimitri Payet
“He was very, very good,” said Jenkinson about Payet. “Just technically really good. Free kicks and stuff like that. His delivery from set-pieces was one of the best I have ever seen.
“Funnily enough, there was another player at West Ham called Nene, he signed on loan, and he is the best free-kick taker I have ever seen. He played a few games (for West Ham), but not a lot. He had a great career. Played for PSG and different clubs.
“I remember sitting there in training watching him take about 20 free-kicks and every single one went over the wall and into the top corner. I was like ‘I have never seen anything like it’. He was scary, in terms of free-kick-taking. I have never seen anything like it.”
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From Jarrod Bowen to Mohammed Kudus, they are now helping light up the London Stadium and hoping to push the team back into Europe.
Julen Lopetegui will need time at West Ham, with the Spanish coach making a mixed start to life in the Premier League, but their opening matches were tough – home games against Aston Villa and Manchester City.
You feel that after the international break, that’s when fans will be expecting their team to pick up, play an expansive brand of football and allow their attacking players to shine.
