Chelsea cult hero looks unrecognisable as retired star braves freezing cold

The former Chelsea forward climbed to the very top of football in 2014 when he lifted the World Cup with Germany, before calling time on his career in 2020 at the age of just 29.

But stepping away from elite competition has not stopped Schurrle from testing himself, who is now pushing his body to the limit.

In the years since his retirement, the 34-year-old has set about battling the elements in a series of extreme challenges, most notably scaling mountains in freezing conditions.

On Sunday, Schurrle revealed on Instagram that he had taken on the Iceman Challenge for the third consecutive year.

Inspired by the Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof, who is known for his ability to brave cold temperatures, the gruelling task saw the German trek up Poland's Mount Sniezka without even wearing a T-shirt.

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The pursuit is designed to be a test of participants' mental and physical strength, and Schurrle was certainly determined to prove his.

In a series of photos shared on Instagram, the former Fulham star can be seen wearing just shorts, gloves, a hat and hiking boots as he joins friends in below freezing temperatures.

And it's fair to say the challenge went beyond anything Schurrle faced in his football career, who is pictured looking red and wearied as snow falls on him, cutting an unrecognisable figure from his playing days.

Despite this, the 2015 Premier League winner was clearly thrilled with his efforts, as he expressed his joy in the caption of his post.

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After completing the challenge, he wrote: "Look at us!! What a day! Pushed through the absolute limit!! With my brothers!

"The coldest I have ever been! Discomfort! Pain! Suffer! Growth!"

He then followed this up by sharing a video documenting his and his fellow participants' journey.

Schurrle begins by saying to the camera: "Welcome, welcome everybody, Mount Sniezka.

Setting the scene, he continues: "Minus 10, we're going up the mountain. No stopping from here, let's go," before he and five others are shown completing the gruelling challenge shirtless.

And this wasn't Schurrle's first experience of the extremes, who has taken on plenty of adventures since hanging up his boots.

His YouTube channel provides an insight into the high-octane lifestyle he now leads.

In 2023, he charted his journey to the top of Germany's highest mountain, The Zugspitze, which has a peak of just below 3,000 metres above sea level.

In addition to his Iceman Challenges, the 57-cap former Germany international has also taken to running, completing both the Barcelona Marathon and the Berlin half-marathon in 2024.

And while Schurrle's life may be particularly eye-catching at the moment, his football career certainly earned him some plaudits too.

In his 11 years as a professional footballer, he made 373 appearances and scored 86 goals while representing Mainz 05, Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea, Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund, Fulham and Spartak Moscow.

This included silverware, with Schurrle winning the Premier League and League Cup with the Blues, as well as the DFB-Pokal whilst at Dortmund.

He also boasted an impressive record at international level, netting 22 times in 57 games for Germany between 2010 and 2017.