Joleon Lescott

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Joleon Lescott
Personal information
Full name	Joleon Patrick Lescott
Date of birth	16 August 1982 (1982-08-16) (age 26)
Place of birth	Birmingham, England
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Centre Back/Left Back
Club information
Current club	Everton
Number	5
Youth career
1999–2001	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2001–2006 2006–	Wolverhampton Wanderers Everton	212 (13) 112 (14)
National team2
2007–	England U21 England	002 0(0) 006 0(0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:53, 26 May 2009 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 18:26, 6 September 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Joleon Patrick Lescott^[1] (born 16 August 1982 in Birmingham, West Midlands) is an English footballer currently playing for English Premiership club Everton. A graduate of the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth academy, he mainly plays in the centre-back position, though he has played in various other positions across the defensive line, in particular left-back. He is the younger brother of Bristol Rovers player Aaron Lescott.

Contents 1 Early Life 1.1 Everton 1.2 England 1.3 Stats 2 References 3 External links

[edit] Early Life

Joleon Lescott was born on 16 August 1982,^[1] and grew up in Birmingham where he attended The Four Dwellings High School in Quinton, — the area in which his mother still lives. Lescott grew up supporting Aston Villa.^[2]

Aged 5, Lescott was hit by a car outside his primary school and dragged down the road. He suffered severe head injuries, the scars of which are still visible today especially across the head and hairline, explaining why no hair grows on the top/front of his head. ^[3]

His first-team debut came as a 17-year-old in the 2000–01 season against Sheffield Wednesday at Molineux stadium 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 also a member of the team that defeated Sheffield United 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium to win promotion to the FA Premier League for the 2003–04 season. Lescott declared this to be the proudest moment of his career.^{[citation needed]}

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.

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 team of the season, voted for by his fellow professionals, and also picked up the Wolves Player of the Year award.

[edit] Everton

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 installments and a final £1 million contingent on appearances.^[4] 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 was Everton's third summer signing after Tim Howard and Andrew Johnson. Everton sold Per Krøldrup in January 2006 and Matteo Ferrari returned to A.S. Roma at the conclusion of his loan making Lescott one of only four senior centre backs at the club.

Lescott made his Everton debut in August 2006 during a victory over Watford and his his first start of the season away to Tottenham Hotspur, after Alan Stubbs injured his groin in the previous game against Blackburn. The game was Everton's first victory at White Hart Lane in two decades, and Lescott was named man of the match.^{[citation needed]} Lescott started again in the next match, the 204th Merseyside derby, a 3-0 victory for Everton. Lescott's first Everton goal came in a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 2 April 2007. Lescott was voted the Player's Player of the Season 2006–07 by his teammates.^[5] He also finished a very close^[quantify] second behind Mikel Arteta in the fans Player of the Season.^{[citation needed]}

The start of the 2007–08 season saw Lescott score three goals in the first eight games of the season. He didn't 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%.^[6]

On 8 May 2008, at the end of season awards, Lescott was voted Everton's Player of the Year and Players Player of the Year.^[7] Prior to the final home game 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. 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.^[8]

There are investigated allegations that Liverpool supporters chanted 'The Elephant Man, the Elephant Man, Joleon Lescott, the Elephant Man", in reference to Lescott's scarring on his forehead, result of a childhood accident, following Liverpool's 1-0 win on 30 March 2008.^[9]

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. On 7 December 2008 Lescott played superbly against Aston Villa scoring two goals, even though Everton lost 3-2.^[10]

On 25 January 2009 Lescott scored Everton's only goal — a close-range header — in the FA Cup 4th Round meeting with Liverpool. The match ended as a 1-1 draw,^[11] but Everton went through by scoring the replay's only goal in extra-time on 4 February.

In June, 2009 there were media reports ^[12] that Manchester City were proposing to make an offer of between 15 and 20 million pounds for Lescott.

[edit] England

Lescott has represented England at Under-18, Under-20, Under-21 and England B levels. After his first season for Everton, Lescott made his England B debut against Albania at Burnley's Turf Moor on 25 May 2007, he replaced Reading's Nicky Shorey in the 73rd minute.^[13]

On 3 September 2007, Lescott received a call-up to Steve McClaren's England squad for the Euro 2008 qualifiers with Israel and Russia.^[14]

Lescott was given his international senior debut against Estonia on 13 October 2007 — replacing Rio Ferdinand at half-time — with England winning 3-0. His second cap — and first start — was the Euro 2008 qualifier against Russia, which England lost 2-1. On 16 November Joleon made his second international start against Austria in a friendly, England won the game 1-0 and Joleon made a composed performance at the heart of defence.

Lescott made his first England appearance under new manager Fabio Capello on 26 March 2008 in a friendly match against France, coming on as a substitute at half time for skipper John Terry.

[edit] Stats

Club Performance

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Everton	2008–09	30	3	5	1	1	0	2	0	39	4
Everton	2007–08	38	8	1	0	5	0	10	2	51	10
Everton	2006–07	38	2	1	0	3	0	0	0	42	2
Total		89	13	2	0	9	0	12	2	111	16
Wolves	2005–06	46	1	2	0	2	0	0	0	48	1
Wolves	2004–05	41	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	43	4
Wolves	2003-04	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wolves	2002-03	44	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	49	1
Wolves	2001-02	37	2	2	0	5	0	0	0	44	2
Total		168	8	10	0	8	0	0	0	184	8
Overall		257	21	12	0	17	0	12	2	295	24

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Joleon Lescott career stats at Soccerbase
• Profile on Official Everton Website

v • d • e Everton F.C. – current squad 1 Nash · 2 Hibbert · 3 Baines · 4 Yobo · 5 Lescott · 6 Jagielka · 9 Saha · 10 Arteta · 12 Turner · 14 Vaughan · 17 Cahill · 18 Neville (c) · 20 Pienaar · 21 Osman · 22 Yakubu · 24 Howard · 25 Fellaini · 26 Rodwell · 27 Jutkiewicz · 28 Anichebe · 30 Ruddy · 32 Gosling · 35 Agard · 37 Baxter · 38 Wallace · — Coleman · Manager: Moyes