FRANK LAMPARD

2001- 2014 GAMES 648 CLUB CHELSEA

BEFORE “I tell you now: Frank will go right to the very top,” West Ham boss Harry Redknapp informed one disgruntled fan during a Q& A in 1996, as his 18- year old nephew squirmed uncomfortably beside him.

LEGACY Uncle Harry was bang on. A £ 14m move in the summer of 2001 was well timed – Chelsea were bought by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich a couple of years later. Pre- Lamps, the Blues’ last top- flight title had come in 1955. But despite a deluge of shiny midfield signings over the next two windows – Scott Parker, Claude Makelele, Tiago, Juan Sebastian Veron and more – he remained an ever- present. Jose Mourinho may have been the disruptive genius behind back- to- back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, but Super Frank was the driving force. “He wasn’t just one of my best players ever, but one of the best professionals,” hailed Jose in 2018.

A textbook box- to- box midfielder, Lampard did all the dirty work while boasting a scoring record most strikers would be proud of. The Londoner hit double figures for 10 successive league campaigns from 2003- 13, including a daft 22- goal tally in Chelsea’s triumphant 2009- 10 season.

Lampard plundered a club- record 210 goals for Chelsea, with 177 in the Premier League. Such a haul gives him fifth spot in the overall rankings; the next midfielder ( Steven Gerrard) comes way down in 18th.

“For me he’s the best,” insisted team- mate, captain and fellow Blues legend John Terry. “To see the number of goals he’s scored at such a high level – Champions League goals, Premier League goals. It’s incredible.”

BEST MOMENT His crowning glory: captaining Chelsea ( in Terry’s absence) to 2012 European Cup success over Bayern, in Munich.