Former West Ham United midfielder Diego Poyet has shown off a dramatically different physique to his playing days in a new set of Instagram posts. The 31-year-old spent two years at the Hammers, making just three Premier League appearances, before retiring from the game at the age of 25.
Poyet is the son of former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gus Poyet. During his own short playing career, Diego also had spells at Charlton Athletic, Huddersfield Town and MK Dons.
While at West Ham between 2014 and 2016, Poyet sported the slight, athletic build typical of a box-to-box midfielder and grew his hair to shoulder length. Since retiring and moving into coaching, he has fallen in love with the gym and now has a significantly different, bodybuilder-like physique, along with a shaved head.
Poyet showed off his new look after posting about a trip to Marbella with his partner and dog. Elsewhere on his account, he has shared his progress in the gym over the years.
Coaching alongside his father
Poyet Jnr now works as an assistant manager in football alongside his father. He joined Gus Poyet's staff when his father took charge of the Greece national team in 2022.
Diego then followed his father to South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2024, where the pair helped the club secure its 10th K League title.
Following Ozil and Torres
Poyet is not the first former footballer to have bulked up significantly after retiring. Mesut Ozil and Fernando Torres are among other big names who have put serious hours into the gym since ending their playing careers.
Ozil, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014 and is now 37, was known as a slender and skilful player during his time at Arsenal, and many were astonished when he first shared his new physique in 2024. Torres, nicknamed "El Nino" and known for his pace and skill as a lean forward for Liverpool, sent social media into a frenzy in 2021 when an advert for AW8 revealed his own body transformation.
Torres scored 85 Premier League goals for Liverpool and Chelsea between 2007 and 2014 and is now a coach with Atletico Madrid's Under-19s. He also played in Liverpool Legends' 4-2 win over Ajax Legends in a 2024 charity match.
