Joleon Lescott

Joleon Patrick Lescott (born 16 August 1982) is an English former professional footballer, coach and sports pundit.

He currently works as a coach with the England U21s.

As a player he was a centre-back and was a graduate of the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth academy.

He made his first-team debut with Wolves in 2000 and he was named the supporters' Young Player of the Year two years running.

His first-team debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers came as a 17-year-old in the 2000–01 season against Sheffield Wednesday at Molineux on 13 August 2000.

At the end of his first season, Lescott was named the Supporters' Young Player of the Year by the Wolves fans; an award he also won in the subsequent 2001–02 season.

Lescott started to become a regular fixture in the Wolves team.

During the 2002–03 season he missed only one league match and played in each of the club's FA Cup fixtures.

He was a regular player as the club won promotion to the Premier League in 2003, but missed the following relegation season through injury.

He was a member of the team that beat Sheffield United 3–0 at the Millennium Stadium in the 2003 First Division play-off final to win promotion to the Premier League for the 2003–04 season.

Despite Wolves gaining promotion, Lescott along with Matt Murray was unable to participate in the 2003–04 season due to knee surgery, preventing him from competing in the Premier League.

Wolves were subsequently relegated and, upon completing his rehabilitation, Lescott returned to compete in the Championship.

He was named in the Championship team of the year for the 2005–06 season, and subsequently moved to Premier League club Everton for a total of £5 million in August 2006.

He was voted Player's Player of the Season by his teammates in the following two seasons.

In October 2005, Lescott agreed a two-and-a-half-year extension to his contract at Wolves.

At the conclusion of the 2005–06 season, he was named in the Championship PFA Team of the Year.

Lescott was sold to Everton at the start of the 2006–07 season for an immediate payment of £2 million, followed by a further £2 million paid in instalments and a final £1 million contingent on appearances.

The transfer was slightly delayed as Everton asked for extra medical checks to be taken on Lescott's knee following the reconstruction of the joint earlier in his career.

Lescott made his Everton debut in August 2006 during a victory over Watford and his first start of the season away to Tottenham Hotspur, after Alan Stubbs injured his groin in the previous match against Blackburn Rovers.

The match was Everton's first victory at White Hart Lane in two decades, and Lescott was named man of the match.

Lescott started again in the next match, the 204th Merseyside derby, a 3–0 victory for Everton.

Lescott was voted the Players' Player of the Season for 2006–07 by his teammates.

He also finished second behind Mikel Arteta in the Fans' Player of the Season.

Internationally, Lescott represented England at various youth levels before making his senior debut in 2007 against Estonia in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Lescott's first Everton goal came in a 1–1 draw against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 2 April 2007.

The start of the 2007–08 season saw Lescott score three goals in the first eight matches of the season.

He did not quite manage to continue scoring at that rate, but he ended the campaign with 10 goals in all competitions and the highest shot-to-goal ratio in the Premier League: 42.1%.

At the end of season awards, Lescott was voted Everton's Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season.

The EDSA labelled Lescott "Mr Consistency" for his performances over the 2007–08 season.

He is also only the second Everton player to have ever been awarded the honour twice.

The start of the 2007–08 season saw Lescott move to the left-back position after Joseph Yobo and Phil Jagielka's successful partnership at the centre of Everton's defence provided manager David Moyes with a selection dilemma.

Prior to the final home match of the season against Newcastle, on 11 May 2008, Lescott was also awarded the Player of the Year award by the Everton Disabled Supporters Association.

On 7 December 2008, Lescott played superbly against Aston Villa scoring two goals, even though Everton lost 3–2.

Lescott moved to Manchester City in August 2009 for a reported £22 million and spent five seasons at the club, winning two league titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup.

On 25 January 2009, Lescott scored Everton's only goal – a close-range header – in the FA Cup fourth round meeting with Liverpool.

The match ended as a 1–1 draw, but Everton went through by scoring the replay's only goal in extra-time on 4 February.

He represented the country at UEFA Euro 2012, scoring England's first goal of the tournament in their opening match, a 1–1 draw against France.

Lescott was born in Birmingham, West Midlands and grew up in the Quinton area of the city, where he attended the Four Dwellings High School.

When he was five years old, Lescott was struck by a car outside his primary school, suffering severe head injuries leaving scarring on his forehead and hairline.

After his release in 2014, he joined West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer and Aston Villa a year later.