Joleon Lescott seems to have made a trip to Turkey in recent times, not to explore the beautiful sights the country has to offer but maybe for another reason a lot of footballers travel to Turkey for, a hair transplant.
While the English defender was a mainstay in Manchester City’s title-winning backline and also part of Everton during his prime, his hair was never his biggest strength.
Hair transplants in football are hardly new—Wayne Rooney famously rejuvenated his hairline, while Antonio Conte’s locks are now as celebrated as his managerial acumen. But when it comes to Lescott, the conversation is layered, much like the thick mop of hair now resting on his head.
For years, Lescott’s hairline and hairstyle have been less than desirable, but a part of this is due to a reason completely out of his hand, shaped by circumstances beyond his control. The former England international has been open about the scars he bears from a childhood car accident that left him in a coma and requiring numerous surgeries.
Speaking to Gary Lineker, Lescott said: “I was leaving school and was crossing the road and [I] was next to a lollipop lady and she put out the sign as they do and I was on her right-hand side, she stepped out, I stepped out, she recognised the car wasn’t stopping so she stepped back. But I was already out on the road and literally my mum was on the opposite watching.”
“So I got hit by the car, dragged down the road a little bit, then ended up with scars and was in a coma for a while and hospital for a longer while,” said Lescott. It didn’t end there, he was in and out of the hospital years after that and had his final operation when he was 15.
The scars were a part of his identity during his playing days, but they may have also complicated options for hair restoration. Yet now, fans are abuzz with speculation. In recent appearances, Lescott has been spotted with what many are calling an unrecognizable head of hair.
Lescott was most recently part of TNT Sports’ midweek Premier League coverage and viewers took to social media to comment on the ex-defender’s new look.
But opinions across social media platforms like X, remain divided as to whether it’s a complete new hairline and a hair transplant, or if it is a wing that Lescott is wearing. Whatever the route Lescott has taken, it has transformed his look.
One fan said, “You think they’re going to turkey? These lads are going to London and paying the big money to get it done proper” another commented on the common notion that top hair transplants are done in Turkey only, “The fact that you think this is only done in turkey is quite sad tbh.”
Mail Sport took to X cracking a joke about the situation as well, “Joleon Lescott has pulled off the greatest footballing comeback in history.” Whether it’s a wig or a new hairline, it seems to be doing a great job for Lescott.
