Lampard reached 20 club goals for the 5th season in a row, after scoring four goals, two of which were penalties, against Aston Villa on Saturday.
The regularity of his performances, his temperament on the field and his refusal to disgrace himself in the public eye means he is the modern day professional in amongst the playboys of the Premier League.
Above all else his performances for both Chelsea, and England have always been exemplary, only Wayne Rooney can boast to having similar success for both club and county.
Gone are the days that saw England fans use Lamaprd as the scapegoat for their inability to qualify for the European Championships in 2008. Yes, Steve McLaren was slated off the pitch but Lampard was the main focus of abuse on it.
Those same England fans have now been eulogizing over Lampard’s performances for the national side, all of which have been while playing largely out of position in a more reserved role alongside Gareth Barry.
Continual comparisons to his father (left) contributed to Lampard's exit from Upton Park
While at West Ham United Lampard failed to escape from his father’s shadow, being branded ‘Fat Frank’, and a move to Stamford Bridge, for a hefty £11 million, helped loosen those shackles. That move signaled an improvement in his career, regular England call-ups and stunning long range strikes followed as did league titles under Jose Mourinho.
Along with a superb goal tally, for which he now lies 3rd in the all-time list of Chelsea goal-scorers, he holds the record for consecutive appearances in the Premier League for an outfield player, at 164.
This is a tribute to his dedication and conditioning as a footballer and it’s no coincidence that he doesn’t get long term injuries, while England’s current skipper Rio Ferdinand, has played just four league games all year and played a bit part in the countries successful World Cup qualifying campaign.
The pressure upon Lampard on the pitch is heightened by the fact he’s the Blues’ regular penalty taker, and his success is astounding with just a single failure in four years.
His quality from the spot was clear to see as he scored three times from 12 yards against West Ham United earlier this season, after having to retake the penalty twice.
In addition he struck from the spot in extra-time of a Champions League semi-final against Liverpool in 2008 just a week after the death of his mother. His two handed point to the sky, a salute to his late mother, now accompanies every goal from Lampard, and Chelsea fans certainly aren’t getting bored of seeing the gesture.
Lampard's tribute to his mother accompanies every goal he scores
As if that wasn’t enough, his profile off the pitch is nothing short of exemplary, a few misdemeanors during his younger years only went to teach Lampard how to behave as a professional footballer, and the death of his mother matured the player further.
That mellowness was clear to see, when last year, during a radio talk show, he called in after being labeled as weak and scum by presenter James O’Brien following accusations that he wasn’t looking after his children appropriately after his split from Elen Rives.
He dealt with the issue in a dignified manner, and given that the radio show coincided with the anniversary of his mother’s death, his coolness was applaudable.
His split from Rives in 2009 was much publicized in the tabloids, but did it affect his performances? Not one bit, as he scored a 90th minute winner for Chelsea against Wigan Athletic that very same month, Terry take note.
Yes, like any other footballer he earns one of the higher wage packets in the division, £150,000 a week to be exact, but given that he’s rarely unfit it’s hardly money gone to waste and in truth he’s probably a victim of the money dominated era of the game we’re now experiencing, rather than being a cash grabber.
It begs the question, with all these attributes, why the 31-year old wasn’t chosen as England’s replacement skipper, after team-mate John Terry was stripped of the captaincy.
Maybe the close relationship between the two always put Lampard out of the running, but if Fabio Capello was that bothered about relationships in the camp, and given Terry’s popularity, he wouldn’t have made the change at all.
I personally find it difficult to find a flaw in Lampard; he doesn’t goad supporters or lambast referees while he doesn’t crave media attention or fruitless sponsorship deals like many others. It’s just a shame that Mr Capello doesn’t seem acknowledge him in the same vein.
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