Lescott recalls AEK Athens ultras storming hotel with flares before City's Champions League opponents lost

Joleon Lescott has offered a vivid account of life at AEK Athens, describing ultras filling the team hotel with flares and singing on the eve of a derby — an experience the former Manchester City defender says left a lasting impression ahead of AEK’s Champions League visit to the Etihad Stadium.

Lescott joined City from Everton in 2009 and spent five seasons at the club, winning the FA Cup in 2011 and making 31 league appearances as Roberto Mancini’s side claimed their first Premier League title in 2012. After losing his place under Manuel Pellegrini, he had short spells at West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa before moving to Athens in 2016.

A knee injury restricted him to just four appearances, and his contract was terminated by mutual consent after three months. But the brief stay was enough to give Lescott a clear picture of the city’s fierce football divides.

“I remember when I was over there in Athens there were certain places in the city I couldn’t go,” Lescott said on the In The Mixer podcast in 2025. “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.”

The most striking moment came the night before an early-season clash against Olympiacos, when Lescott was interrupted mid-routine by the team captain.

“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,’” Lescott recalled. “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.”

AEK lost that derby 3-0, a result that cost then-manager Temur Ketsbaia — a former Newcastle United midfielder — his job. The episode underlines the pressure AEK carry into any high-stakes fixture, including their upcoming tie against Enzo Maresca’s City side in the Champions League.