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Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has revealed how he was told to avoid certain parts of the city when he played for AEK Athens in Greece
Former Manchester City star Joleon Lescott has opened up about his time playing for AEK Athens in Greece. The defender admits he was advised to steer clear of certain areas of the city because of who he played for.
Lescott, who made nearly 300 appearances in the Premier League before hanging up his boots in 2017, surprisingly left Aston Villa for Athens on a two-year contract almost a decade ago. However, his stint in Greece was marred by injuries, limiting him to just four appearances for AEK before he moved on to Sunderland for his final season.
The 43-year-old has shared insights into the Greek perspective on football, including how his affiliation with one of Athens' three major football clubs led to him being barred from certain parts of the city
Lescott's comments came in the wake of Nottingham Forest's dismissal of Ange Postecoglou and Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis' subsequent appointment of Sean Dyche.
Speaking on In The Mixer, brought to you by Sky Bet, he said: "I'm not surprised or against the fact that Marinakis made the change. Not that I wanted Ange to get the sack. I think it's because we're not used to that approach taken by owners. Having played there, I've seen it firsthand and they are very passionate.
"I'm not saying they're more passionate than owners in England, but they display it very visibly and they address managers and players more consistently. It's just taken more like a religion.
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"I remember when I was over there in Athens there were certain places in the city I couldn't go. There was my AEK Athens and then there was Olympiacos and Panathinaikos in the city so you had to be divided.
"I was told not to live in certain areas and stuff like that. I live in Manchester now but there's nowhere I can't go because of United fans as much as they love their club. It's totally different and it works for them!"
Lescott also recalled an incident involving his head coach being sacked. He continued: "We had a local derby against Olympiacos. We were top of the league.
"I remember the night before the game, I'm in my room and the captain comes and knocks on the door and says, 'Oh, we've got to go downstairs. The fans are there.' I had a routine when I played and stuff and it was just like getting ready and going to ice and doing what I needed to do. I said, 'Yeah, no, I'll leave it.'
"He was like, 'No, no no, we have to go downstairs.' And we went downstairs and the ultras were in the reception with the flares and they were singing and it was going off. They were very passionate about the importance of the game and making us aware that we needed to win. We didn't win, we lost.
"As I said, we were top. It was a game before the international break and then the manager got the sack. He literally got the stack and we were the top of the league. Just because we lost against Olympiacos. Crazy, isn't it? It's crazy. It's a different world."
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