A PREMIER LEAGUE icon has stunned fans with a new look while competing in a new sport.
The defender started his career in his homeland of France before making the switch to England in 2001.
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A former Premier League footballer has been seen competing in a completely new sport Credit: Instagram / sylvaindistin15
The defender was one of the leagues most reliable defenders in his day Credit: Instagram / sylvaindistin15
They then played for a host of top flight clubs, cementing themselves as one of the most steady and reliable centre-backs in the country.
Among the illustrious list of teams he played for were Newcastle on loan, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Everton and Bournemouth, racking up well over 450 top flight appearances.
His career in England eventually fizzled out in 2016 as he retired from the beautiful game.
Unfortunately he never ended up playing for his national team, but did reject the chance to change international allegiance to star with non-FIFA affiliated nation of Guadeloupe in the 2011 Concacaf Gold Cup.
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He joked the zero caps he had made for France had been a “wonderful experience”.
However, the former Prem star has clearly been keeping busy.
A decade on from his retirement, Sylvain Distin has been seen competing in the Arnold Fitness Games CrossFit event.
And speaking about the challenge, the 48-year-old admitted it was way harder than any Premier League football match he had been a part of.
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He said: “450+ Premier League games, packed stadiums, big stakes.
“You would think I would be bulletproof, but @arnoldfitnessgames nearly broke me before I even started…
“In football, even on a bad day, you can nick a win against a top team. There’s always a chance.
“But individual CrossFit? The leaderboard doesn’t lie.
Sylvain Distin swapped the football pitch for CrossFit challenge Credit: Instagram / sylvaindistin15
Distin made more than 450 top flight appearances for the likes of Man City and Everton Credit: Getty
“I knew before I even walked out for my first individual comp that I wasn’t going to win.
“For someone as hyper-competitive as me, accepting that was a total head scramble.”
Distin confessed he was fearful of looking like an amateur following his career as a pro athlete and spent more time “looking for the fire exits than warming up”.
But Distin clearly didn’t have anything to fear as he fought to a more than respectable eighth-place finish.
He added: “No trophy, no winner’s medal, just a lot of sweat and a massive realization: the hardest part wasn’t the thrusters, it was showing up knowing I couldn’t win.
“Turns out, ‘You vs You’ is a much scarier fixture than any football game I played in my career.”
Jamie Carragher was among those to reply, commenting with hands raised and fire emoji.
Evertonian boxer Tony Bellew also shared his support, replying to the post: “Machine.”
