Super Frankie Lampard as he was fondly called by Chelsea fans, is the only midfielder to have scored 150 plus goals and he is the record goalscorer for Chelsea with 211 goals in all competitions.
The current Chelsea boss was a highly talented midfielder who was without a doubt one of the best players of his generation. In an era of football where midfielders dominated, Lampard carved a niche for himself by being a goal-scoring midfielder.
His ability to see a pass and make runs into the box set him apart from the rest.
Lampard’s versatility enabled him to play in different roles in the midfield. His attributes allowed him to play as a second striker, attacking midfielder, central midfielder and defensive midfield. His long-range shots and eye for goal were admirable by his peers.
Lampard joined the West Ham academy at the age of 16 while his father and former West Ham player, Frank Lampard senior, was the assistant coach. Frank Jr was then offered a contract a year later then had a short stint on loan at Swansea. Upon his return to the team, he made his first-team debut.
Lampard became a first-team regular the next season alongside other academy graduates like Michael Carrick and Joe Cole. His performances did not go without notice as he received an England call up during the 1999/2000 season.
The West Ham team suffered a decline during the 2000/01 season which resonated into the departures of the then manager Harry Redknapp who is Frank Lampard’s uncle and his father. Lampard suffered from the pressure of being the son of a club legend and the young rising star.
Chelsea came calling at the end of the season and Lampard did not hesitate to make the move across London. A lot was expected of Lampard but it took a while for him to settle in his new club.
He hit his stride in the 2003/2004 season where he earned a place in the PFA Team of the year. He reached double figures for the first time in his goal tally.
The arrival of Jose Mourinho unleashed the creative and goal-scoring genius in Lampard as Chelsea won back to back Premier League titles. Lampard, alongside, Petr Cech, John Terry, and Didier Drogba formed the spine of a successful Chelsea team whose foundation was a solid defense.
Lampard went on to win 6 major trophies with Chelsea which included 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 1 Champions League and 1 Europa League. His 13-year spell with Chelsea came to an end in 2014. He then signed a two-year deal with MLS side New York City FC. He was joined by Andrea Pirlo and David Villa.
The affiliation between New York City FC and Manchester City enabled Lampard to join Manchester City on a one-year loan deal. He scored his first goal against his former club Chelsea which ended a winning streak that season.
At Manchester City, he made his 600th Premier League Appearance and scored his 177th Premier League goal.
His goal scoring form followed him to America as he scored the fastest goal in the club’s history and scored the club’s first hat trick. He retired in 2017 and expressed his desire to go into coaching.
For England, Lampard was a prolific set-piece taker as he scored 9 penalties. The penalties attributed to his 29 goals for the three lions. He had 106 caps and represented the team across 3 major tournaments.
Lampard has numerous individual awards. He is one of the most decorated midfielders of his generation. He was awarded an OBE in 2015 for his services to British football. His accolades cut across UEFA, FIFA, PFA, EPL and the Ballon d’Or.
Hey! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay.
I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
Comments are closed.