Premier League icon told he was banned from certain parts of city in warning message

View 3 Images

Joleon Lescott has revealed how he was told to avoid certain parts of the city when he played for AEK Athens in Greece . The former Manchester City and Everton star made the move in 2016 but lasted less than a year in the Greek capital.

Lescott, who made almost 300 Premier League appearances before calling it quits in 2017, departed Aston Villa for Athens on a two-year deal nearly a decade ago. This spell was tumultuous and injury troubles meant he played just four times for AEK before a swansong stint at Sunderland .

The 43-year-old was asked about Greek football following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou by Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis. He has since been replaced by Sean Dyche .

Lescott shed some light on how sport is viewed in the country and included details of how he was banned from certain parts of Athens because of his allegiance to one of the city's three largest football clubs.

Speaking on In The Mixer , brought to you by Sky Bet, Lescott 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.

View 3 Images

ALL OUT FOOTBALL ON YOUTUBE : Subscribe now to be the first to watch the latest episodes of In The Mixer and other original shows, brought to you by Sky Bet. Follow All Out Football on Instagram , TikTok , Facebook and X .

"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.

"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.

View 3 Images

"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 ."

You can listen to brand new episodes of In The Mixer on Spotify and Apple Podcasts !

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.