Chelsea FC Makes Official Statement On Frank Lampard’s Departure
Chelsea FC has released a statement on the club’s official website regarding Frank Lampard’s departure from Stamford Bridge which you can see in its entirety here. These are some of the best sections according to us here at The Pride of London.
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On Frank Lampard’s appearances record and big game scoring ability:
"He blazed a trail during his long Chelsea career. Only Ron Harris and Peter Bonetti played more than his 648 games and Lampard famously leads our all-time scoring chart. His goal touch allied with all-round quality and fantastic stamina helped change the way football views the modern central midfield player.He was a man for the biggest occasions – not least when his goals fired the team to the league title at Bolton in 2005, when he provided the vital pass for Didier Drogba’s winner in the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley, or when he led the team in John Terry’s absence in the Champions League final in Munich."
On his first season the potential he showed:
"Purchased by Claudio Ranieri from West Ham in the summer of 2001 to help plug the summer departures of fans’ favourites Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet, Lampard’s life at the Bridge began steadily rather than spectacularly but there were examples of the important and well-taken goals that would soon proliferate, and his commanding display against Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira in the 2002 FA Cup final in Cardiff gave an indication of the powerful performance with which he would soon make his name."
On the growing recognition of Super Frank’s talents:
"Recognition for Lampard’s talents soon spread further afield. By the end of the following season, he had finished runner-up in the voting for both World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year. Though Lampard’s extraordinary run of consecutive league games was broken on 164 in 2005/06, he hit the remarkable total of 20 goals for the first time as we romped to the title again.We not only had the best team in the country; we had the best player. Goals and assists galore from open play and set-pieces alike were blended with disciplined and dominating midfield performances that contributed both to a fearsome frontline and an extraordinarily tight defensive unit."
On winning the Champions League:
"With Terry suspended it was Lampard who captained the side on 19 May 2012 and as so often before, he delivered again. This time, though, it was from a slightly deeper position than the one we had long grown accustomed to seeing him operate from, further evidence of his ability to adapt his game to the occasion.Two long hours of football couldn’t separate the sides but the shoot-out did, joyously, in our favour. Lampard of course thrashed his spot-kick in, just as he had in Moscow four years before. Unlike that rainy night in Russia, though, it was blue hands on the famous trophy, lifted by Lampard and Terry to the ecstasy of Chelsea supporters everywhere."
Finally, on Frank Lampard being the greatest midfielder, and possibly the best player ever at Chelsea:
"One of the delights of football fandom is being able to compare, to contrast, to judge; across generations, continents and platforms.That Lampard has won more international caps while playing for Chelsea than anyone else in our history only strengthens the argument that he is one of the very greatest players to have represented the club.Any Chelsea supporter who has had the good fortune to watch Super Frank Lampard in full flow will know we have never seen his like in our midfield before, and we will be very blessed to again see his equal."
Source: ChelseaFC.com
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