Dimitri Payet is set to return to the France national team in the form of his life on Friday but with the sense that his past could deny him the chance to shine at Euro 2016.
Since joining West Ham from Marseille before the start of this season, Payet has been a revelation, quickly establishing himself as the darling of the Upton Park faithful and placing Slaven Bilic's team firmly in the hunt for an unlikely Champions League berth.
"He's the best player I've signed in 25 years," said Hammers co-owner David Sullivan. "He's a £30million player. He's a supreme footballer. He makes every player in our side play better. On his day, he's world class, he's unstoppable."
It is hard to argue with any of Sullivan's superlatives, yet Payet arrived in east London for a fraction of that theoretical price tag. His talents were hardly a secret, so it is tempting to wonder how on earth West Ham pulled it off.
In 2014-15, guided by the genial Marcelo Bielsa, Payet scored seven goals and created a remarkable 17 more in 36 Ligue 1 matches for Marseille. Across Europe's major leagues, only Kevin De Bruyne, Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi could claim a better return in terms of assists.
Payet led the way on chances created, his 133 outstripping 111 from De Bruyne, the Belgium international who would become Manchester City's record signing from Wolfsburg in August for a fee in excess of £50m.
"I didn't want to hear any further mention of France," he said. "I just wanted to stay on my island and play football there."
When Payet's father and uncle persuaded him to try again, his talent - rather than application - shone through at Nantes.
"Dimitri was a player who was very talented, despite his natural nonchalance," said the club's reserve team coach Stephane Moreau.
As Nantes were humiliatingly relegated in 2006-07, Payet's breakthrough talents would provide a shaft of light. But a reputation for flair at the expense of hard work and application was already established.
"I'm not speaking about Dimitri [but] if I have a player who goes against the spirit and who can be a danger to the squad, I won't take him. And that's the case with certain players," he said after overlooking Payet last September.
Persistent brilliance for West Ham has forced Deschamps' hand and Payet now has the chance to prove he can be a help and not a hindrance to the bid for Euro glory.
Grabbing a substitute cameo with gusto against Netherlands or Russia and getting along famously with the likes of Matuidi over the coming days could influence Payet's international future far more than the seemingly inevitable Premier League heroics to come.
