Quiet, thoughtful and unassuming, Joleon Lescott has never been your typical England centre half.
One look at the profound messages tattooed across his torso or a few minutes in the company of the softly-spoken boy from Birmingham will tell you that.
Then again, the 29-year-old who claimed his first international goal to give England the lead in Monday’s draw with France has spent most of his life surprising people.
There were those who thought he might not survive, let alone pursue a career in football, after a childhood accident left him with massive head injuries.
‘I know there was a time when my mum and dad didn’t think it would turn out as well as it has done, put it that way,’ Lescott once said. ‘But thankfully the doctors worked their magic. I have a scar but I have nothing to worry about.’
Lescott often conceals it under a hat, which has become something of a fashion item for a player who launched his own label in April with brothers Aaron and Jordan.
Golden moment: Lescott beats Lloris
City’s stars turned out for the occasion at Manchester Art Gallery for one of their most popular team-mates, yet in the three years since a £24million move from Everton, some critics have questioned whether Lescott would still be at the club.
It has not always gone smoothly but, true to form, he has continued to emerge as one of the finest centre backs in the country. Those who saw Lescott come through at Wolves are not surprised to see him so determined to prove his detractors wrong.
First-team coach Terry Connor remembers taking the club’s kids for a long run on his first day 13 years ago. One was sick by the side of the road but declined an invitation to quit and quickly recovered the lost ground.
‘When I got back I asked who it was,’ says Connor. ‘I was told, “That’s Lescott”. From that moment on, I thought, “He’ll do for me!”.’ France are certainly not the first to underestimate Joleon Lescott.
Post a Comment