Chelsea legend Frank Lampard became the latest inductee of the Premier League Hall of Fame. The league’s highest-scoring midfielder, and one of the highest-scoring players ever, was announced to be a part of the select group on Tuesday.
The Frank Lampard – Steven Gerrard – Paul Scholes debate rages on; all three sides of the argument firm in their belief that their candidate was the best midfield player in Premier League history. Scholes has trophies to back him, while Gerrard won the hearts of many with his leadership. But it is Lampard, whose contribution is the most tangible, as he has scored the highest number of goals.
Perhaps with that in mind, the Premier League has inducted Frank Lampard in their recently established Hall of Fame. The Chelsea star became the fifth inductee, as he joined Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, and Roy Keane in the select group. The league has since announced a sixth inductee – Dennis Bergkamp.
Lampard’s record for Chelsea is remarkable and one that will surely withstand the test of time. The Englishman joined the Blues from West Ham United in 2001 and would play in their colours for the next fourteen years.
During this time, he scored 177 league goals for Chelsea and recorded 102 assists. In 2013, Lampard also surpassed Bobby Tambling to become the club’s all-time top scorer – a record made even astonishing since he was a box-to-box midfielder.
The England international also won several trophies with Chelsea. He scored twice to secure Chelsea’s first-ever Premier League title in 2005, before repeating the feat with the club next year.
Lampard won another league title with the club in 2010 under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti. The midfielder also won four FA Cups, two English League Cups, and two Community Shields during his 14-year stint in West London.
His time at Stamford Bridge bore continental cups too. Lampard was Chelsea’s captain in the final of their maiden UEFA Champions League win. He took over the duties from John Terry – who was suspended from the match – and scored a penalty in the shoot-out. The subsequent season, he won the Europa League with the Blues – again stepping in as the captain due to an injury to Terry.
Lampard announced his departure from Chelsea in 2013 after the club decided against renewing his contract. He surprised everyone by signing for Manchester City that summer on a season-long loan, having joined New York City FC in Major League Soccer. Remarkably, Lampard scored on his return to Stamford Bridge, if only in the wrong shade of blue.
The England centenarian left the Premier League for good in 2015, following which he would enjoy two seasons in the MLS, playing alongside Andrea Pirlo and David Villa. Lampard announced his retirement from football in 2016 before taking on the role of a football pundit. Subsequently, he was named as the manager of Derby County in 2018, and returned to Chelsea as the head coach in 2019. He was relieved of his duties by his former club in January 2021.
Overall, Frank Lampard made 915 appearances in competitive club football, scoring 274 goals. He also played 106 times for England and scored 29 goals. Astonishingly, his goal record in the league means that he is the only midfielder in the top ten all-time scorers list. He is currently fifth in that table, behind Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Andy Cole, and Sergio Aguero.
Individually, Lampard won the PFA Player of the Year award in 2005. That same year, he came runners-up in both FIFA’s Player of the Year awards and the Ballon d’Or – losing out on both to Ronaldinho. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year thrice and was Chelsea’s Player of the Year on three occasions. He becomes the first from his club to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and only the second midfielder on the list.
