Credit: CFCUnofficial https://www.flickr.com/photos/cfcunofficial/16412382351/in/set-72157650514670246
It is hard to put in words how much Chelsea FC fans adore Frank Lampard. In the past 10 years before he made the move to Manchester City, Frank Lampard helped form the spine of a team that won nearly every trophy at the club level and he was beloved by Chelsea faithful all over the world for it.
He has won the Champions League, FA Cup, Premier League, and even the Europa League in his time at Stamford Bridge and it is time we recognize him as he gets set to play his final Premier League match this weekend.
Unfortunately for Chelsea FC fans it will be as a member of Manchester City but at least they did not have to witness the horrors of Lampard lifting the Premier League trophy, or any trophy actually, with the Citizens.
The time has finally come for his “loan” to City to come to an end and this is truly the end of an era for English football as one of the best midfielders of this generation calls time on his Premier League career. Join us as we take a look at some of Frank Lampard’s best moments at Chelsea Football Club.
Next: First Chelsea Goal
After six years at West Ham from 1995 to 2001, Frank Lampard signed for Chelsea for £11 million. The move was reportedly spurned on by West Ham’s dismissal of his uncle Harry Redknapp and what Lampard perceived to be poor treatment of his father Frank, Sr.
By the time he arrived at Chelsea FC, Frank had already developed a reputation as a goalscorer in the Premier League having found the back of the net 39 times in 4 full seasons as a first regular. He was signed by the club before the Roman Abramovich era began but was still surrounded with some excellent talent in Marcel Desailly, Gianfranco Zola, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and Emmanuel Petit.
In Chelsea’s seventh league game of the season against Bolton Wanderers, Lampard scored what was the Blues’ fifth goal of the match. After some nice link up play with Zola and Samuele Dalla Bona, Lampard unleashed a shot from outside the area and thumped it past Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Who would have thought that he would go on to play for Chelsea for more than a decade and score another 202 goals before all was said and done?
Next: Triumph in 2005
Winning The Premier League In 2004-05
In his fourth season with Chelsea and his first under Jose Mourinho, Frank Lampard lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time in his career. It was the Blues’ first top flight title in 50 years and it was the first real justification for Roman Abramovich’s huge investment in the club.
Lampard played in all 38 league matches that season and made another 20 appearances in all other competitions. To top off a fine season he scored both goals against Bolton Wanderers that saw the Blues clinch the Premier League title.
He scored 19 goals in all competitions and it was just a sign of things of come as he would go on to score 20 or more goals for the next five years. That season he also finished second in the Ballon d’Or awards and was named the FWA Footballer of the Year.
Next: League Cup Delight
Winning The League Cup In 2005
This was another big moment for Frank Lampard as he won the first trophy of his Chelsea career with a victory over rivals Liverpool in dramatic fashion. The Reds took an early lead against Chelsea but thanks to a Steven Gerrard own goal, the first of his many contributions to a Chelsea cause, and two extra time goals from Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman the Blues were able to triumph.
The Blues would of course go on to win the Premier League just a few months later but this was the first trophy in what would be Chelsea FC’s most successful period in their history and the first trophy of the Jose Mourinho era.
Lampard must have really enjoyed lifting that trophy, just the second of his young career so far, because he has gone on to lift another 12 before he departed at the end of the 2013/14 season.
Next: Premier League Champs, Again
Winning the Premier League in 2005-06
Becoming champions of England is hard enough but repeating it means you are truly here to stay. The Blues showed the world and the rest of the Premier League that they were not one year wonders with a repeat performance.
The 2006 title team was not as dominant as the 2005 team which only lost once in the Premier League and gave up 15 (!!) goals in 38 league matches. The 06 team lost five matches but were only four points behind the dominant ’05 team.
As for Lampard, he set a career high with 16 goals in the league and added another nine assists. He finished as Chelsea’s top goalscorer in the league and set a Premier League record for consecutive appearances with 164 that ended as he missed a match against Manchester City due to illness.
Next: FA Cup Triumph
FA Cup Triumph In 2006-07
The Blues fell short of their goal of winning the Premier League by finishing second to Manchester United but they did win the first FA Cup of Frank Lampard’s career. He would go on to win four more FA Cups in ’08-’09, ’09-’10, and ’11-’12 but the first one is always the sweetest.
The FA Cup became known as the competition that Chelsea FC was always “up” for and the triumph in 2007 is what started it all. In a tense match with the eventual league champions Manchester United, the Blues came out on top through a magnificent bit of play between Lampard and the King of Wembley Didier Drogba in the 116th minute of the match.
Lampard was named Man of the Match and although they did not win the league at least they had bested United to the FA Cup. The Chelsea midfielder was also the tournament’s top goalscorer with 6 goals that he scored primarily through a hat trick against Macclesfield Town and a brace against Tottenham Hotspur.
Next: A Tearful Penalty
The Emotional Penalty vs Liverpool
Leading up to the Champions League semifinal second leg against Liverpool in 2008, Frank Lampard’s mother Pat had passed away after being struck with pneumonia. The two shared a very close relationship and Frank was not chosen by manager Avram Grant to play against Liverpool but after begging to play was inserted in to the lineup.
He admitted later that he played the match in a “zombie state” but you would not have guessed it by his performance and the fortitude he showed in the match’s biggest and most dramatic moment.
With the match hanging in the balance in the first period of extra-time, Sami Hyypia fouled Michael Ballack in the box and Chelsea FC was awarded a penalty. Wearing a black armband to commemorate his late mother, Lampard stepped up to the spot with the weight of the world on his shoulders. With a swing of his right leg Lampard sent Pepe Reina the wrong way and scored for the Blues.
After scoring he ran to the corner flag and pulled off the armband to kiss it and nearly collapsed under the weight of such an emotional week and penalty. Drogba sealed the victory moments later to earn Chelsea’s first trip to a Champions League Final but that penalty is a moment that truly transcends sports.
Next: Champions League, Finally
Champions League Victory
After the tragedy of Moscow in 2008, there was some doubt as to whether this generation of Chelsea players would ever win the Champions League. They had come close time and time again and were either robbed by a cruel twist of fate or an equally cruel referee. In 2012, the Blues looked less likely than ever to win the big-eared trophy considering how poorly they were performing in the league.
Losing to Napoli 3-1 appeared to be the final nail in the coffin for Chelsea’s European campaign but instead they responded with one of the most unlikely and magical runs in the history of the competition. We all know the story by know and we have all watched countless YouTube compilations of the triumph against Napoli, Benfica, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich but it must have been extra special for Super Frank.
With John Terry suspended for a rash tackle on Alexis Sanchez, Lampard took on the captain’s armband in the final and lead Chelsea to an incredible upset. He buried his penalty in the shootout and did all he could during the match to keep Bayern at bay.
That victory also set up the future for Chelsea as they were in danger of missing out on the Champions League for the first time in nearly a decade. Instead, they defied all the odds and went on to win and lay the foundation for the next generation of Chelsea players.
Next: The Domestic Double
Winning The Double In 2009-10
By the time the 2009-10 season rolled around, winning the Premier League and FA Cup was old news for Frank Lampard. He had two league titles under his belt and had won the FA Cup twice too.
A domestic double of sorts was also on his CV after Chelsea won the Premier League and League Cup in 2004-05 but he had never won the league and the FA Cup in the same season. Of course that would all change in 2009-10.
With Carlo Ancelotti running the show, the Blues played “PlayStation” football all season long. They scored an incredible 103 goals in the Premier League, scored 4 or more goals in 10 matches, and 7 or more goals in 4 matches.
Lampard had the best season of his career under Ancelotti as he scored 27 goals in all competitions and added 16 assists as well. 22 of those goals were in the league and 3 came in the FA Cup. He finished fifth in the Premier League’s goalscoring charts and was second on the team to Drogba.
The Blues were scoring for fun and Lampard cemented his place as one of the best goal-scoring midfielders in the history of the game. It was his fifth in a row and final season scoring 20 goals or more and it was obvious he was in the prime of his career.
Next: Topping The Charts
Chelsea’s All Time Goalscorer
As one of the best players to ever play for Chelsea, and hands down the best midfielder to ever pull on the famous blue shirt, it makes sense for Frank Lampard to top the goalscoring charts at the club.
Lampard topped Bobby Tambling’s record of 202 with a double against Aston Villa in typical fashion. His first coming from an absolute peach of a goal from the top of the box and the second at the end of one of his trademark late runs in to the box.
Before this moment, Tambling’s record had stood for 47 years before Lampard came around to snatch the top spot away. It took Lampard nearly twice as many appearance as Tambling to reach that pinnacle but he did it as a midfielder and not as an out and out striker like Tambling.
He would end his Chelsea FC career with 211 goals in all competitions and it seems a record that will stand for a very long time in this day and age of players switching clubs every few years.
Next: Petr Cech - Chelsea's Greatest Goalkeeper