Thirteen years ago Frank Lampard left West Ham United and joined London rivals Chelsea in a £11m move.

At that time Chelsea were a strong side in the Premier League but weren’t really classed as title challengers, that was a title that only applied to Manchester United and Arsenal in those days.

Before his move Lampard had less than a handful of caps for England. When the deal was announced, I thought it was a decent transfer. Although I did think it was a bit much for a potential squad player.

Fast forward to the current day and Chelsea have totally changed and in no small part that has a lot to do with Lampard.

Obviously Billionaire owner Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 and did a great deal in taking Chelsea forward. Manager Jose Mourinho helped propel the club during his first stint in charge. Plus there were stalwarts like John Terry, Didier Drogba and Petr Cech that always seemed to be at the heart of the team.

But Lampard always seemed to be a bit more of a class act…

Why? 

Well I think there are quite a lot of reasons to be honest.

Firstly he is a winner. He leaves Stamford Bridge with plenty of medals in his pocket. To be exact he has won; three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, two Community Shields, a Europa League and the Champions League trophy with Chelsea. Before the golden era that Lampard was apart of, Chelsea had only won the top league once before (back in 1955!) and had never one Europe’s elite competition.

Another huge bonus in Lampard’s favour is his longevity and his ability to play an enormous amount of minutes on the park. In those thirteen years at Stamford Bridge he appeared for the ‘Blues’ in 648 matches. He made 429 appearances in the Premier League. In those thirteen seasons with Chelsea Lampard only failed to appear in forty or more games once (2010/11). Even last term at the age of thirty-five Frank managed to make forty displays for the first team.

He is also a model professional. As I’ve just mentioned he played a lot of football during his Chelsea days and a lot of that is down to his own determination, lack of suspensions and the fitness regime that he has followed in and out of training. He was afforded a very good education from his family and it shows with his media work, as he is speaks articulately and his answers are well thought out. Lampard showed his dedication when he returned to the game only a week after losing his mother, scoring an emotional penalty against Liverpool.

Then we have his goals. In the 648 matches, Lampard has smashed in 211 goals! A phenomenal tally for any midfielder. In nine seasons he’d grab fifteen or more strikes a season. He was the clubs main penalty kick taker and often held his nerve in important, pressured situations. His scoring often help take the pressure off the frontmen and would give his side an added edge. In 2o13, Frank would break Bobby Tambling’s goalscoring record, meaning Lampard was/is now Chelsea’s all-time record goalscorer, an astonishing feat. His goals were often vital for the club, none more so than his double against Bolton in 2004/05 that clinched Chelsea first English Premier League title.

This isn’t the end of Frank Lampard’s career, he’ll be with England in Brazil this summer participating in his third World Cup. Surely he will then call time on his international career after the summer but he’ll have improved on his 103 caps and will hope to also add to his twenty-nine England goals.

Where next for Frank?

Well we have heard a lot about New York City FC, the new MLS franchise owned by Manchester City’s owners. If he decides to go Stateside then he’ll be joining Spain’s David Villa, who has just joined Sheikh Mansour’s latest project. Then there is QPR, currently managed by Frank’s uncle Harry Redknapp. But I doubt he’ll stay in England.

Whatever Frank Lampard does next, he has been a top player for over a decade now and his displays and goals for Chelsea have made them superior to the club he joined in 2001. At Stamford Bridge this classy midfielder will always remain a Blues legend.

Posted on June 3rd, 2014 by scott
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