Former West Ham star and son of ex-Premier League manager Gus Poyet shows off drastic new look after quitting football aged 25

Former West Ham midfielder Diego Poyet has taken to Instagram to show off a striking new look compared to that of his playing days.

The 31-year-old spent two years at the Hammers, making just three Premier League appearances, in what was a short playing career.

Poyet, who is the son of former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder Gus, retired from the game at the tender age of 25, having also enjoyed spells at Charlton Athletic, Huddersfield and MK Dons in the English game.

During his short career on the pitch, Poyet sported the classic slight, athletic build of a box-to-box midfielder. And while at West Ham, he grew his hair to shoulder length.

But since hanging up his boots and getting into coaching, Poyet has fallen in love with the gym and now boasts a significantly different physique.

Taking to Instagram, the ex-Iron showed off his now bodybuilder-like physique and shaved head when posting about a trip to Marbella with his partner and dog.

Diego Poyet, son of ex-Chelsea star Gus, has shown off his new look on social media

Poyet sported long hair and an athletic build during his playing days at West Ham between 2014 and 2016

And when diving deeper into his account, he has shared his progress in the gym over the years, which has seen him follow in the footsteps of Mesut Ozil in becoming an extremely muscular athlete.

Alongside putting significant hours into the gym in order to build his Hulk-like frame, Poyet Jnr also works as an assistant manager in football.

He joined his father Gus, who has managed the likes of Sunderland and Brighton, in the dugout when he took the Greece national team job in 2022.

Poyet then followed his dad to his post at the South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2024, where they helped secure the club's 10th K League crown.

He is not the first former football star to have bulked up significantly following the end of their career on the pitch. Ozil and Fernando Torres are just two of many big stars who have put serious hours into the gym after retirement.

Many people were astonished when former Arsenal star Ozil first shared his new physique back in 2024. The now 37-year-old, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, was always known as a slender and skilful player during his career at the top level.

The same goes for Torres, who sent social media into a frenzy back in 2021 when an advert for AW8 showed off his impressive body transformation. Known as 'El Nino', the former Liverpool forward used to cut a lean figure as he terrorised defences with his pace and skill in his prime.

The midfielder retired from playing aged 25 and was recently assistant manager at South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Torres scored 85 Premier League goals during his time at the Reds and Chelsea between 2007 and 2014, but is now coach of Atletico Madrid's Under 19s.

He was certainly strong during his playing days, famously shrugging off former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic en route to netting at Old Trafford for Liverpool, but not many could have foreseen the brawn Torres would gain.

It's hard to imagine Torres would ever struggle to win duels if he played with his size now. He demonstrated this in 2024 during Liverpool Legends' 4-2 win over Ajax Legends in a charity match.