Sylvain Distin is a professional football player, born on December 16, 1977 in Bagnolet, France.
In 1997, Sylvain Distin began his football career with the French non-league side Joue-les-Tours and played 32 games for this club, scoring 4 goals. In the following year, he moved to Tours, and during his tenure of one year, he appeared in 26 games and scored 3 goals. Sylvain Distin signed his first professional contract with Gueugnon of Ligue 2 and was a member of the squad that won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2000. During his stint at this club, this defender made a total of 32 appearances and has one goal to his credit. His impressive performance earned him a deal with Paris Saint-Germain. During his first season at the club, he played 28 games for the club, which includes a game in which he scored once. After a year at this club, Sylvain Distin was loaned to the English premier league side Newcastle United. Following this loan spell, the club offered him a deal, but he signed with Manchester City for record transfer fee of £4 million for a defender in 2002.
Sylvain Distin had an impressive first season at the club and won the Manchester City's Player of the Year for the 2002/03 season. In the following season, he continued his good form and was named the captain of the side following the retirement of Ali Benarbia. He appeared in over 200 games for Manchester United during his tenure from 2002 to 2007.
On May 23, 2007, Sylvain Distin signed with Portsmouth on a three-year deal and was appointed as the vice-captain of the team by Harry Redknapp, the club’s manager. He has also captained the side during the absence of Sol Campbell. At this club, Sylvain Distin was voted as the Player of the Year by his teammates in 2008. He was a member of the Portsmouth team that won the Football Association (FA) cup on May 17, 2008.
