Former Manchester City star Joleon Lescott says FourFourTwo his perfect XI of former teammates.
Lescott also played for Aston Villa, Everton and West Brom in his Premier League career, as well as 26 England appearances over six years.
FourFourTwo sat down with him to ask him what a team of his best teammates would look like.
Manchester City star Joleon Lescott picks his Perfect XI…
GK: Joe Hart
“During his time as Manchester City and England No.1 he was ridiculous. One game stands out from 2015, against Barcelona at the Camp Nou – he saved virtually everything that night and must have racked up double digits against Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Crazy talent and a great guy too.
AR: Micah Richards
“People will assume it’s because he’s a mate and I’m biased but honestly his best games are some of the best I’ve ever seen from a right-back. No one was past Micah. He loved absolutely defend, and even if he didn’t advance as much as he could have, he was still a real offensive threat.
CB: Rio Ferdinand
“Simply the best centre-back England have produced in recent times. He’s the guy who personally helped me a lot, not just talking to me, but watching him and realizing that prevention is better than heal for a defender You don’t need to slip and make last minute tackles if you can prevent it higher up the pitch.
CD: Vincent Kompany
“Equally, Vinnie will go down as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, when all is said and done. I had a strong partnership and understanding with him – we complemented each other so well and knew at what stage of our careers the two of us were in. Our partnership was so instinctive that we never had to think about what the other was going to do.
LB: Ashley Cole
“Leighton Baines would have been the best left-back of the era if not for Ash – that shows you how exceptional he was. But Ash was by far the most consistent player I played with for England. When you look at the all-time greats, he’ll be there – he must be one of the only England players to start each of his first 100 caps. Unbelievable.”
CM: Yaya Toure
“I could have had Patrick Vieira but he wasn’t the first Patrick when I played with him so he will have to be on the bench. Yaya was amazing for Manchester City and every time he played well the team was playing well, there was never a time when he was man of the match and we lost 2-1 – he played and we won 3-0.
CM: Steven Gerrard
“Paul Ince was also on board with a shout out here. He was my hero growing up when I was a tackle midfielder, and he helped my early career at Wolves, but Stevie is the complete midfielder. He could do anything and you trusted him to impact a game.
AM: David Silva
“If Yaya is the best player I’ve played with, David is the best footballer. The smartest guy I’ve ever seen on a pitch, and he had the purest ability. He didn’t even need to mount tackles. He had confidence and grace, and opponents couldn’t get near him – I don’t know how he did it. For a decade he was as good as he could get.
RF: Wayne Rooney
“My top three cover all the bases with pressing, flair and goals. Wayne embodied the team ethic and never stopped running, but he also had incredible skills and an eye for goal. The perfect striker to have by your side.
CF: Wayne Rooney
“Sergio had that determination to score. The ‘Aguero moment’ to win the title against QPR defines it. As Thierry Henry bends it in from the left, it’s an Aguero goal – edge of the six-yard box and hitting him from the corner. He did it at Spurs, Liverpool, the lot. If anyone was born to score goals, it’s him.
LF: Carlos Tevez
“You better take the ball away from him because of his mentality. Carlos was a nightmare to play against. I’ll get on the bench to provide cover at the back, and maybe even have a cheeky attack if we’re desperate for a goal…”
Coach: Glenn Hoddle
“The way he explained the game was different to any other manager I’ve played for. I was 21 when he was my manager at Wolves; I didn’t appreciate how much he helped me out. ‘era.
Substitutes
patrick viera
Louis Saha
Joleon Lescott
