I contemplated retirement after facing Louis Saha!

Former Premier League defender Joleon Lescott has informed William Hill’s Stripped Podcast that Louis Saha was the most effective participant he performed in opposition to in his profession and after a torrid match in opposition to the ex-Fulham and Manchester United ahead he even thought of retirement.

Talking to William Hill’s Stripped Podcast, a brand new collection through which ex-footballers are invited to make a journey down reminiscence lane by revisiting their favorite shirts, Lescott stated: “The perfect participant I performed in opposition to was Louis Saha at Fulham after I was at Wolves. He made me know what I wanted to do extra as knowledgeable and a footballer.

“I performed in opposition to him a couple of weeks earlier than and did alright, however quick ahead a couple of weeks and we’re enjoying them within the cup. I’m assuming it will be the identical, nevertheless it wasn’t. He gave me an actual style of my very own medication. We misplaced 3-0 and he scored a penalty together with his proper foot and a free-kick together with his left foot. He did some stuff to me that had by no means occurred to me since I used to be a child enjoying with adults!

“I’d by no means performed in opposition to somebody who was higher than me in all the weather at one time. Somebody might need been quicker or stronger than me, however I’d outdo them in different methods. After that sport I bear in mind going again into the dressing room and considering, ‘I might need to retire’. It was a great factor although, as a result of I realised there was one other degree I wanted to get to. It made me know you could be humbled actual fast and I had to enhance.”

Lescott loved a powerful profession within the English top-flight enjoying for the likes of Wolves, Everton, Aston Villa and Manchester Metropolis, all of whom are concerned in big inner-city derbies, and whereas he loved enjoying in all of them, one specifically stood out.

“I performed in some nice derbies,” he stated. “The Manchester, Merseyside and Second Metropolis derbies had been all implausible and really particular to be part of, however I’d say my favorite one was the primary one I performed in – Wolves versus West Brom. I believe we received 3-1 at Molineux and it was the primary time I performed after I couldn’t hear. The noise was simply fixed, and it was a sport that basically caught with me. You couldn’t hear ‘man on’ or something like that, it was mad.

“It was humorous as a result of it was again within the days the place you can get away with preventing. There have been no movies so no retrospective motion could be taken and I bear in mind giving Darren Moore a headlock. He’s circled to strangle me and I immediately apologised and within the paper there’s this nice photograph of me with Darren in a headlock. It was a bit completely different again then!”

In addition to discussing a few of his extra memorable membership experiences, Lescott was additionally fast to say that his time in an England shirt was proper up there amongst his achievements.

Having chosen the England shirt from the 1998 World Cup marketing campaign, he went onto focus on his worldwide debut in 2007 and the affect a sure Rio Ferdinand had on it.

“My debut was in opposition to Estonia and we had been 3-0 up at half-time,” Lescott stated. “I used to be clearly a bit nervous and I got here on for Rio [Ferdinand]. I bear in mind he stated to me ‘get pleasure from’ and it actually caught with me.

“I solely requested him throughout the summer time if he’d carried out it on function and he informed me he had. The rationale he did was that in France ’98 he by no means obtained a minute throughout the match and it has at all times caught with him, so if he was capable of ever give somebody the chance to play he would.”

The 40-year-old scored his one and solely objective for his nation throughout Euro 2012 – a match through which England misplaced out on penalties to Italy within the quarter-finals. The previous centre-back recapped on how he would have been the final man to take a penalty within the shootout, even behind goalkeeper Joe Hart.

He stated: “I wasn’t going to take one. Actually, I stated to the boys ‘I’ll go after Joe Hart’. The best way we noticed it was that I used to be going to go final as a result of that wasn’t my function within the crew. My function was to get us to the penalty shootout after 120 minutes after which let another person be the hero.”