Former and defender Jelle van Damme has completed a remarkable career change after swapping football for professional cycling.

The 41-year-old joined the Saints for £2.5million from Ajax in 2004 and only featured nine times in a season where the club were relegated, before the Belgian star joined Anderlecht.

After four seasons with the Belgian side, he then had a one-season spell back in the with , playing just six games before finishing his career with Standard Liege, LA Galaxy, Royal Antwerp and Lokeren.

The football journeyman might not have been a success in English football but did manage 542 appearances in his career - and he's now set to try his luck in a totally different sport.

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Since retiring from football in 2020, Van Damme has been stepping up his interest in cycling and is now pushing towards professional cycling after qualifying for the Unbound World Cup of gravel cycling in the United States later this year.

Van Damme says he has enjoyed cycling so much that if he could turn back time, he would take up the sport instead of football.

"If I could have my time over again I would set out to be a racing cyclist - despite all I have experienced in ," he said, via . "I think I would succeed given my mindset and personality. I always compare myself to [Belgian pro] Tim Declercq. I'm not someone who looks to win the races, but a good 'servant' who helps my teammates achieve the best possible finish.

"My passion for the sport has grown. I have taken on a coach, and I now have full sponsorship. "I began with my brothers and nephews, doing 40-50km rides, but now I can do 120km distances."

Van Damme said he has taken the same fighting attributes from his football career into cycling saying he was not afraid to battle with other riders even if he has a setback.

"Just like in football, I can suffer on the bike. I can break down, but I'll recover quickly. As an athlete I will want more when I see that I'm getting better.

"I can be a right b****** at times. I was like that as a footballer, and I'm the same now when I get on my bike. I think I can ride well, and when I'm in a peloton I am not afraid to throw myself around. My family group calls me Kamikaze, as I'll go from zero to flying round bends at top speed. Once an athlete, always an athlete."

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