Chelsea Legend Frank Lampard Retires From Professional Football

Chelsea legend and former England international Frank Lampard retires after 21 years of playing football.

(Image credit: hdwalle)

“After 21 incredible years, I have decided that now is the right time to finish my career as a professional footballer,” said the Chelsea legend on in Instagram. “Whilst I have received a number of exciting offer to continue playing at home and abroad, at 38 I feel now is the time to begin the next chapter in my life. I’m immensely proud of the trophies I’ve won, of representing my country over 100 times and of scoring more than 300 career goals.”

Following in his father’s footsteps (Frank Lampard Sr.) – who played for West Ham between 1967 and 1985 – Lampard joined the Hammers’ youth academy as a 16-year-old in 1994. After a short loan spell with Swansea City in the 1995/96 season, he returned back to the Boleyn Ground (West Ham’s stadium until end of 2015/16) where he spent the next five years which saw him develop into a fearsome goalscoring threat from midfield, as he bagged 39 goals in 187 appearances across all competitions for the Irons.

In the summer of 2001, Aston Villa reportedly tabled a £15m joint bid to purchase Frank Lampard and Frederic Kanoute, but West Ham declined the offer, instead opting to solely sell the former to London rivals Chelsea for £11m. Stamford Bridge would go on to become the place where Lampard would make his name and in the end become a Chelsea legend, as he spent the next 13 years with the Blues, breaking numerous records and filling up his trophy cabinet with loads of silverware in the process.

Videozapis objavljuje Frank Lampard (@franklampard) Vel 2, 2017 u 2:56 PST

Once he made the move from West Ham to Chelsea he settled in immediately, appearing in 37 games in the Premier League and finding the back of the net on five occasions ( overall: 53 app, 7 goals) in his first season with his new club. As time progressed he matured into a real maestro in the middle of the pitch, while also providing plenty of goals for his side which saw his numbers rise from 7 in his debut season with Chelsea, to 21 in the 2006/07 campaign, to a peak of 27 in the double title-winning season of 2009/10.

With John Terry being absent through suspension, Lampard assumed the role of captain in the club’s historic squad that won the dramatic 2012 Champions League final at the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich. He also found the back of the net during the penalty shootout, which helped Chelsea secure their first-ever elite European title – this effectively helped solidify him as a Chelsea legend.

The Stamford Bridge side decided to release Lampard in the summer of 2014, with him soon turning 36 years of age at the time (DOB: 20 June, 1978). Over the course of 13 years with the club, he became the all-time top goalscorer with a total of 211 goals for Chelsea, while also reaching fourth on the list of the all-time appearances with a staggering 648 official outings. If it weren’t for John Terry (712 app), Lampard would have been third on the chart.

What’s even more impressive than becoming the leading goalscorer for the club is that he won countless trophies during his time with the Blues. This includes three Premier League titles (2004/05, 2005/06 and 2009/10), four FA Cup trophies (2006/07, 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2011/12), two Football League Cups (2004/05 and 2006/07), two FA Community Shields (2005 and 2009), one Champions League crown (2011/12) and one Europa League title (2012/13).

Having represented England for a period of 15 years (1999-2014), Lampard has earned a total of 106 caps and found the back of the net 29 times for the Three Lions. This places him in seventh spot on the all-time appearances list for the England national side, with his former teammate Ashley Cole right above him on the chart having made one more cap than him. Despite enjoying extraordinary success on club level with Chelsea, Lampard never managed to get his hands on any silverware while on international duty with England.

After departing Stamford Bridge as a Chelsea legend, Lampard took up the chance to continue playing in the English top flight for another with Man City (2014/15), before heading off to the MLS to play with New York City FC, which is owned by City Football Group – the same parent company behind Man City. 31 appearances, 15 goals and 18 months later after signing with the MLS franchise, Frank Lampard has decided to hang up his boots at 38 years of age, having won every major club honour in the sport of football.

We salute your achievements and bid you farewell, Lampard!

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