A few Everton fans have been replying on Twitter to a recent post by Sylvain Distin, after our former defender reacted to his inclusion in The Athletic’s Toffees Team of the Decade.
Distin moved to Goodison Park from Portsmouth in 2009 for £5.3million, having helped the Fratton Park natives lift the 2008 FA Cup and making a total of 96 appearances on the south coast.
The Bagnolet, France-born centre-half would go on to become a mainstay of our defence, as he wracked up a combined 210 appearances across all competitions – more than at any club of his career.
Distin also scored five goals and assisted four in Royal Blue before joining AFC Bournemouth at the end of his contract in 2015, with the match-winning strike against Sporting CP in the Europa League in 2010, the equaliser against Manchester City in a 2-1 win in 2011, and our equaliser as we were held to a draw at Liverpool in 2011.
Distin called time on his playing days in 2016 after a year back down south with the Cherries, and has not yet taken up a role back in football since retiring.
The Athletic’s Greg O’Keeffe and Patrick Boyland have chosen the Frenchman as part of their best Blues XI of the past ten years, in a backline consisting of Seamus Coleman, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines with Tim Howard in goal.
Romelu Lukaku leads the line in a sole-striker attack with Tim Cahill tucked in behind, while the midfield four comprises of a central pairing of Idrissa Gana Gueye and Marouane Fellaini with Mikel Arteta on the right and Steven Pienaar on the left.
Does Distin feature in your Team of the Decade?
Yes
No
Distin has reacted to his inclusion in The Athletic’s Toffees Team of the Decade by taking to Twitter and sharing: “Thanks for the call. Love the look of this team. Great balance of speed, power and skills.”
Here are some of the messages shared as fans replied to Distin’s reaction…
Fancy a managers job?
— Chris Butler (@cmbutler1878) November 28, 2019
There is 0 pace in this line up Syl 😂
— DANNO (@DANNOJ1878) November 27, 2019
without a doubt… Except THAT backpass Sylvain…
— Iwan Mulya (@iwanmulya) November 28, 2019
Can’t disagree with that 11
— Mike (@mikeefc1878) November 28, 2019
Halcyon days, Sir!
— Indiscernible #Xequals0 (@WellBuiltLair) November 27, 2019
And this is why Moyes should return…the best players we have had in decades are Moyes bought players….
— Michael (@sekimsports) November 27, 2019
To this day I cannot understand why Martinez left you out of the team Sylvain ! Our defence was a disaster . What happened?
— Graham Shaw (@grumpyalget) November 27, 2019