Frank Lampard Makes 600th Premier League Appearance

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Former Chelsea FC legend Frank Lampard made his 600th appearance in the Premier League in Manchester City’s loss to Burnley last weekend. Lampard came on as a substitute in the second half to mark the occasion a full 19 years after his debut as a 17 year old with West Ham United. He becomes just the second player in Premier League history to reach the milestone with Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs leading the way with 632. 

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It is quite a remarkable achievement for a player who has achieved so much in English football. From winning every domestic trophy including the Premier League several times to lifting both the Europa League and Champions League trophies, Lampard has done it all. Reaching the 600 mark is another signifier of Lampard’s greatness and it adds yet another footnote to his incredible legacy.

The only downside to the achievement, at least for Chelsea fans, is that Frank Lampard did it in City colors. The fact that he made 429 of those 600 appearances while playing for Chelsea is still remarkable but Blues fans would have made it a much bigger deal than the City supporters. To City, he is just another player making a pit stop at the Etihad on his way to another club but for many Chelsea fans he was the heart and soul of the club.

There was some chatter among Chelsea fans during last weekend’s draw against Southampton about how they wished Frank Lampard was still with the club. With Chelsea struggling to score against a stubborn Southampton, some fans lamented that if Lamps was still with Chelsea he would come on and score the winner from about 20 yards out. He always had a penchant for scoring late goals and is always willing to have a go from distance.

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Chelsea have had some issues in central midfield and who better to address them than the club’s all-time leading scorer? Of course that sort of talk is just a waste of time but he Lampard would have been an excellent player to be able to bring off the bench. For whatever reason though he decided that it was time for him to move on and perhaps it was better that way.

He left on his own terms and after a season in which he started more than half of Chelsea’s Premier League games. The Chelsea fans never truly got a chance to say goodbye but surely a testimonial match is in the works. The hurt might be too much to take if Manchester City pip Chelsea to the title but let’s hope for our sake and for Frank’s that that does not happen.

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