Another legend has played his last Premier League match. Unfortunately Frank Lampard’s final send off occurred while he was wearing the wrong shade of Blue. Nonetheless, in honor of Super Frank’s departure from English football, it’s time to relive the Chelsea legend’s most memorable moments in a blue shirt, and in doing so pay tribute to the end of an era in the Barclays Premier League.
5) Winning us the 2009 FA Cup final
Tied 1-1, a little over fifteen minutes left, and it’s none other than Frank Lampard who cuts the ball back, nearly loses his footing, and rips a 25 yard shot into the back of the net with his weak foot! A memorable celebration capped it all off after Frankie ran to the corner flag, looped ‘round it, and was met with a bear hug from Anelka. Lampard making the difference in Chelsea winning a trophy, nothing new there!
4) Bolton away, April 2005.
Three points that afternoon would make Chelsea champions of England for the first time in fifty years. It was the chance to make history. Who was going to step up, pull out their extravagant quill, and write a fresh page in Chelsea Football Club’s history book? Super. Frankie. Lampard. An agitating first half set the stage for Lampard’s brace and Chelsea’s clinching of their first Barclays Premier League title.
3) Captaining Chelsea to European glory
It’s the most sought after night in the history of Chelsea Football Club. 19 May 2012 was the evening that the Londoners finally tasted European glory after so many years of heartbreak and frustration. There were quite a few notable suspensions going into a UEFA Champions League final that was already odd – it was practically a home game for Bayern! John Terry was a notable miss for Chelsea, and vice-captain Frank Lampard donned the fat yellow European armband. It was an unbelievably classy performance from Chelsea’s number eight in midfield. Frank Lampard represented the club brilliantly that night, and he even smashed his penalty straight down the middle of the net past Neuer. It’s only right that a legend like Lamps played such a huge role in the most historic match of the club’s history.
2) The tear-jerking penalty against Liverpool
It was only one week after the death of his mother that Frank Lampard stepped up to the spot at Stamford Bridge in the 2008 Champions League semi-final. Against Liverpool, Frank bravely approached the penalty spot with the chance to make it 3-2 on aggregate in such a crucial stage of the competition. The Englishman, with grief distinctly evident on his face, licked his lips as he slowly stepped away from the ball and awaited the whistle. Frank masked all of these feelings and showed composure. He held it all in and proceeded to unleash his frustration into absolutely crushing the ball into the bottom left corner. Lampard broke down… He ran over to the corner and collapsed to his knees near the flag: hands in his face, tears in his eyes, heart in his mouth. Frank was swarmed by his teammates and was basically brought to his feet by Drogba and Carvalho. John Terry soon wandered over and embraced an emotional Lampard. It was easily one of the hardest moments of Frank’s career and one that we shall never forget.
1) Becoming Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer… AS A MIDFIELDER.
“It means everything, it’s amazing”, he said. Frank Lampard was out of contract in the summer of 2013 and needed two goals from Chelsea’s final three games to break Bobby Tambling’s all-time goalscoring record at the club. A pair of goals in the second half of a match away to Aston Villa launched Frankie to record-breaking elation at Villa Park. It was a tap in for Lampard, and Frankie fell to his knees and thanked the heavens. This moment allows many to make a strong argument that Frank Lampard is Chelsea Football Club’s greatest ever player – the man has scored more goals for the club than anyone else from a midfield role. What an absolute legend. The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
