Joleon Lescott spent three years at Everton before moving to Manchester City, and has now revealed that he was left gobsmacked by Joseph Yobo during his time at Goodison Park
Everton's defender Joleon Lescott (C) celebrates with teammates, Nigerian defender Joseph Yobo (L) and British midfielder Phil Jagielka after scoring against West Ham United during their Premiership match at Upton Park in London, England, on November 8, 2008.
The Everton star ended up being humbled by his new teammate(Image: IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Joleon Lescott was left stunned when, two weeks into his Everton career, Joseph Yobo didn't know which position he played. The former Wolves defender joined the Toffees in 2006 and quickly settled in with most of his new teammates.
But while appearing on Adebayo Akinfenwa's Beast Mode On podcast, Lescott shared a hilarious story about Yobo that caught him off guard.
"Joseph Yobo, he's funny mate," Lescott recalled. "I'd been there for two weeks, yeah, [and] he asked me where I played. That was humbling. That was the first time I'd been humbled. I was like, 'Oh, I've got to prove myself again.' Do you know what I mean?"
Lescott went on to describe Yobo's nonchalant attitude, as he added: "He was so calm. I was like, 'Yo, you really don't know.' And I'm thinking, 'If he's in my team and don't know, no one's going to know.'"
Akinfenwa was clearly taken aback by the story as he replied: "You know, these are like the little things which... like, if I went into a club and they said, 'Hey, bruv, where do you play?'"
Lescott then clarified the timeline, adding: "Nah bruv, I'm not talking day one. I've been there. I've been training, but he didn't know where I played bruv, after a week, 10 days. I was like 'Oh.' [I was] allegedly coming to play alongside him."
Joseph Yobo, Jo, Steven Pienaar, Marouane Fellaini and Joleon Lescott dine as Buca di Beppo hosts pre-game meal for Everton Football Club (UK) in Salt Lake City to play MLS All-Stars at Buca di Beppo on July 27, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Everton defender was humbled by one of his new teammates just weeks after joining
Long before reaching the peak of his career, Lescott had not yet made a Premier League appearance when he transferred to Everton in a deal valued at £5million. However, he departed the club three years later as a fully-fledged top-tier defender, having scored 17 goals and provided seven assists in 143 appearances for the Toffees.
A five-year tenure at Manchester City came thereafter, during which time Lescott won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup before heading to West Bromwich Albion in 2014. He subsequently played for Aston Villa, AEK Athens and Sunderland before retiring in 2017, boasting 26 England caps.
Defender Yobo had a somewhat less illustrious club career, starting out at Standard Liege and moving to Marseille before joining Everton in 2002, initially on loan before the move was made permanent the following year. He spent nine years with the Toffees before transferring to Fenerbahce in 2012.
Joseph Yobo of Everton scores in the second half to give his side a 2-1 lead and celebrates with Joleon Lescott of Everton (R)
Yobo and Lescott handled Everton's defensive responsibilities with ease in the mid-2000s
He also had a brief stint at Norwich in 2014, before finally retiring. However, Yobo shone for his native Nigeria in comparison to Lescott's record for the Three Lions, earning 101 caps and scoring seven goals between 2001 and 2014.
Their former team, Everton, will host their first Premier League match at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium this Sunday, facing Brighton and Hove Albion. Last season marked the Toffees' final bow at Goodison Park, and this weekend's fixture signifies the dawn of a new era for the Toffees in their brand-new 52,769-capacity stadium.
Everton had a disappointing start to their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 defeat to newly-promoted Leeds United at Elland Road on Monday evening, due to a controversially awarded penalty converted by Lukas Nmecha. They will be hoping to secure their first points of the season on home turf when they welcome Brighton.