Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has opened up about his brief but memorable spell with AEK Athens, describing the experience as "a different world" as the Greek club prepares for a Champions League meeting with Enzo Maresca's side at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Lescott, who spent five seasons at City after joining from Everton in 2009, was a key figure under Roberto Mancini, helping the club win the FA Cup in 2011 and making 31 league appearances as City secured their first Premier League title the following year. After falling out of favour under Manuel Pellegrini, he had spells with West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa before moving abroad in 2016.
Lescott's short stint in Athens
The former England international arrived in Athens as a veteran but was still surprised by the level of expectation surrounding AEK. A knee injury limited him to just four appearances before his contract was ended by mutual consent after three months, yet that was enough time for him to understand the fierce club divides in the Greek capital.
"I remember when I was over there in Athens there were certain places in the city I couldn't go," Lescott said on In The Mixer in 2025. "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!"
Pressure before the Olympiacos clash
Lescott witnessed the passion first-hand as AEK prepared for an early-season clash against Olympiacos, a 3-0 defeat that led to the sacking of former Newcastle United player Temur Ketsbaia. Recalling the build-up, Lescott said: "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 sack, 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."
What's at stake for both sides
While the results show the 46-year-old misremembers AEK being top of the league, the incident highlights the pressure Lescott faced during his spell. The reigning Greek champions will hope to bounce back from their recent Champions League defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk, while Maresca's side are looking to recover from a 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain last week. City head into the clash following a 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town on Saturday.
