There are players who have football in their blood and who are born with a ball on their head. A Frank Lampard they accused him of reaching the elite for being a plugged-in, but he ended up keeping his mouth shut with great goals. His terrible shots tightened the nets throughout Europe, and despite being a midfielder of struggle and courage, he became one of the best passers and arrivals in history. Elegant and professional, like few others, today we remember a total player, who, with his numbers and his nobility on the green, is recognized by everyone as one football legend.
West Ham (1995-2001)
Frank James Lampard was born in London on June 20, 1978, and grew up in a family that breathed football. His father, Frank Lampard Senior, was a West Ham legend (playing almost 20 seasons at the club) and his uncle, Harry Redknapp he coached the London team in the 90s. With that background, Frankie Jr. could only be a footballer, and after growing up in the Hammers academy, he signed his first professional contract in 1995. At 17 years old he left on loan to Swansea from the English third division and, after playing 9 games and scoring 1 goal with the swans, he returned to West Ham in January to play with the reserves.
In the 96-97 season, he made the jump to the first team, and with Uncle Redknapp on the bench and his father as an assistant, he had to endure a lot of criticism. At a public event, the father of an academy player suggested that he only played because he was a relative of the coach, and Redknapp responded with a prophetic phrase: "I'm telling you now. Lampard will be a top player.
Uncle Harry was not wrong, and although Frankie took a while to gain a foothold in the elite, he managed to establish himself alongside another legend from the quarry, Rio Ferdinand In his first season in the Premier, he did not play a single game as a starter and suffered a serious injury that kept him off the playing fields for almost the entire season. Once recovered, Lampard took the place in 97-98, where he scored his first goals with the Hammers shirt and had a spectacular season. West Ham surprised everyone by reaching fifth place in the League, and Lampard became one of England's most promising youngsters.
In 1999, Lampard debuted with the Tres Leones senior team, and in 2000, he demonstrated his personality at the club by trying to take a penalty from the fearsome Paolo Di Canio. However, his time at Boleyn Ground came to an end and, after six seasons with West Ham, winning an International Cup in 1999, and scoring 39 goals in 187 games, he was transferred to Chelsea.
Chelsea (2001-2014)
The Blues paid 11 million pounds for his signing in 2001, and at Stamford Bridge, he began a love affair with the other club of his life. With Chelsea, Lampard continued to demonstrate his ability to score goals and dazzled the blue fans with his hierarchy. Since his arrival, he became an undisputed starter for all coaches, and the arrival of Abramovich and the million dollar signings did not affect his status in the team.
Lampard had become untouchable for Chelsea and the English team, with which in the summer of 2004 he attended his first Euro Cup. In Portugal, Lampard emerged as one of the best midfielders of the tournament, scoring 3 goals in 4 games. Unfortunately for him, England fell in the quarterfinals against Portugal in the penalty shootout, but upon his return to London, he met the coach who boosted his career.
First Titles
Jose Mourinho he took charge of Chelsea, and with "The Special One" on the bench, the Blues became a title winning machine. Lampard established himself as the team leader from the engine room, and that same campaign, Chelsea lifted the league title 50 years after their only championship. Lampard had one of the best seasons of his career and finished the season with a total of 19 goals, being named the best player in the Premier. Liverpool left him without a Champions League final, although in 2005, he also won the League Cup and the Community Shield, being recognized worldwide with it Silver Ball, only behind the Brazilian Ronaldinho
Mourinho was in love with his commitment and professionalism, and, with the help of the Portuguese Lampard, he became a blue legend. In 2006, he won another Premier League with Chelsea and, despite being a midfielder, scored 16 goals that made him the top scorer in the championship. It had been a long time since a midfielder with so much scoring nose had been seen, and Frank arrived at the World Cup Germany like one of the stars of the tournament. The English started as one of the contenders, but, unfortunately, they fell again on penalties against the Portuguese team with Lampard as the sad protagonist.
Upon their return to the islands, United beat Chelsea in the League, but Lampard and the Blues won the FA Cup and the League Cup. In the Champions League, they almost reached the final in Athens, but Rafa BenÃtez's Liverpool eliminated them again, this time in the penalty shootout.
Without Euro Cup and without Champions League
The year 2008 was possibly one of the worst of life from Lampard. Injuries caused him to miss several games, and the death of his mother led to two major sporting disappointments. England was unable to qualify for the Euro Cup in Austria and Switzerland, and Chelsea was left without the Champions League again. After Mourinho's controversial dismissal, the blues took flight, and after finishing second in the League, they achieved it his first Champions League final with Avrant Grant on the bench. Manchester United was their rival in Moscow, and Lampard responded to the goal of Cristiano Ronaldo to score the 1-1 with which the game ended. The champion had to decide in the penalty shootout, where Terry slipped and made a mistake Anelka, they ended up giving the title to the Red Devils.
Despite the defeat, Lampard was chosen as the best midfielder in Europe, and Chelsea offered him a £40m contract, making him the highest paid player in the world. In 2008-2009, Chelsea won the Community Shield against United after another intense penalty shootout, and Lampard ended up lifting another FA Cup title. The Blue team almost reached another Champions League final, but Iniestazo and Ovrebo's controversial performance against Barcelona prevented the English final from being repeated.
In the following campaign, Carlo Ancelotti, he took charge of the team, and Chelsea completed a historic double. The Blues won the League and Cup, and Lampard broke his scoring record with 27 goals in all competitions. The Englishman scored 22 goals in the domestic championship, becoming the midfielder who has scored the most goals in the history of the Premier.
Controversial goal in the World Cup in South Africa
Frank Lampard arrived in top form at the South Africa World Cup, but England once again disappointed in their attempt to lift their second World Cup. Capello took control of the team, and after overcoming the first phase with difficulty, he had to face Germany. La Mannschaft beat the British 4-1, but the match will be remembered for Lampard's great goal that did not go up on the scoreboard. With that goal, England would have tied the game at two, but the non concession and German efficiency ended up eliminating the Three Lions.
Champion of the Champions League and the Europa League
Upon his return to London, Lampard underwent surgery for a hernia, and when it seemed that he was going to reappear, he had another injury to his left leg. Frankie stayed off the pitch for 3 months, and Chelsea missed him. After not winning any titles in 2011, the Blues began the following season with few expectations, especially after the dismissal of Villas Boas. The Stamford Bridge team finished sixth in the League, but with the arrival of Roberto Di Matteo, they managed to win the FA Cup and compete in Europe.
Chelsea qualified for the round of 16 of the Champions League, and after overcoming Napoli and beating Benfica, they were able to eliminate the best Barça in history in the semifinals Bayern were favorites to win the final at their stadium, but after Müller's goal came Drogba's header that took the game to extra time. In overtime, Cech saved a penalty against Robben, and the title had to be resolved in the penalty shootout. Lampard scored his shot, and this time, yes, the Chelsea lifted the first big ear in its history.
Frankie and the Blues had the most desired trophy, but the title defense barely lasted six months. The following season, they lost the European Super Cup, the Club World Cup, and fell in the first phase of the Champions League. The board dismissed Di Matteo, and the season was righted with his participation in the Europa League. The arrival of Rafa BenÃtez served as a catalyst for Chelsea, which ended up winning the title after beating Benfica 2-1 in the final in Amsterdam.
Top Scorer in Chelsea History
Lampard lifted his second European title in just two years and, after another disappointment with England at Euro 2012, he had his sights set on the World Cup in Brazil. With Chelsea, he was facing the last season of his contract, so both parties were negotiating a renewal. At 35 years old, the club only offered him one more year with a salary reduction, while Lampard demanded a little more recognition.
Finally, after a blank season, Lampard went to the World Cup without renewing his contract, and after being eliminated in the first phase of the tournament, he announced his departure from Chelsea. The legend was leaving the most important club of his career after winning 13 titles, playing 648 games and scoring 211 goals, that they still keep him like him all-time top scorer of the Chelsea. In 2014, Lampard also retired from the English national team, with which he played 106 games and scored 29 goals during his 15 years as an Internacional.
New York and Manchester City
After more than a decade at Stamford Bridge, Lampard decided to try his luck at New York City in the MLS, although before playing in the United States he played on loan at Manchester City (a club belonging to the same investment group). The North American league did not start until 2015, and Frankie played for six more months in the Premier, where he continued to prove his worth. By chance, he scored his first goal against Chelsea, although out of respect for his former club, he did not celebrate the goal.
Lampard ended his adventure at City playing 38 games and scoring 8 goals, and in the summer of 2015, he made his debut in the North American League. In his first season in New York, he missed many games due to injuries, but in his second year in the MLS, he showed his love affair with goals. In July 2016, he became the first player from the New York franchises to score a hat trick and, along with other legends such as David Villa or Andrea Pirlo, led his team to the conference semifinals
At the beginning of 2017 and after scoring 15 goals in 31 games in the MLS, Frank Lampard announced his retirement as a footballer. The English midfielder was ending 20 years of an impeccable career, in which he became the best player in Chelsea history, and he left his mark as the highest scoring midfielder of the century. In his entire career, Lampard scored more than 300 goals and played more than 1,000 games, being an example of professionalism that he now tries to convey from the bench.
After coaching Derby County, he signed for Chelsea in 2020 but was sacked just before the Blues won the second European Cup. After another unfortunate adventure at Everton, the prodigal son has returned to Stamford Bridge in 2023 and his mission is to revive a team on the road, but his career as a player will always remain in the Memoirs of Football.