Premier League player looks totally different after trying a brand-new sport
Sylvain Distin, who played 469 times in the Premier League, has traded football for a new sport – and he says it’s much scarier than any football match he’s played.
Distin had a strong Premier League career, starting out on loan at Newcastle United from Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Manchester City in 2002. He went on to captain City, Portsmouth, and Everton, finishing his playing days at Bournemouth with 17 more appearances.
Now 48, Distin still loves a challenge. Recently, he took part in a CrossFit competition at the Arnold Classic, which is a tough mix of strength, cardio, and movement that demands top fitness. While he was fit from football, this event really pushed him to his limits.
Videos online showed him powering through exercises like ring work, powerlifting, rowing, box jumps, and walking handstands. But after the event, Distin shared on Instagram how tough it was – saying it nearly broke him before it even started.
He also talked about how hard it was to accept he wouldn’t be winning, which caused a “total head scramble.” He even thought about quitting before it began but ended up finishing 8th in the Masters 45+ category.
Distin opened up about the mental struggle, saying it was “much scarier than any football game” in his career. He wrote:
“450+ Premier League games, packed stadiums, big stakes. You’d think I’d be bulletproof, but the Arnold Fitness Games nearly broke me before I even began.
In football, even on a bad day, you can still pull off a win against a top team. There’s always hope. But individual CrossFit? The leaderboard doesn’t lie. I knew before I started I wouldn’t win.
For someone as competitive as me, accepting that was a real mind-twister. Just five minutes before the first heat, my brain was racing: 1) ‘If I leave now, no one will notice.’ 2) ‘What if I look awful doing this?’
I was more worried about looking like an amateur after a pro career than anything else. I spent more time checking the fire exits than warming up.
I finished 8th in the Masters 45+ Rx category. No trophy, no medal, just a ton of sweat and a big lesson: the hardest part wasn’t the thrusters, it was showing up knowing I couldn’t win.
Turns out, ‘You vs You’ is way scarier than any football game I played.”
Distin’s post, with photos of him sweating it out, got plenty of support from football names like Jamie Carragher, Tony Bellew, and Darron Gibson.
Besides football and CrossFit, Distin also holds the record for the most Premier League appearances by a foreign outfield player and has taken part in half marathons, marathons, and even a triathlon.