Frank Lampard yesterday announced he will be leaving Stamford Bridge when his current contract expires at the end of June following a wonderful 13-season spell with the Blues. In recognition of his achievements as a Chelsea player, the club’s official website looks back at his time at the club through a collection of images…
Shortly after signing for the club from West Ham United in 2001, Lampard took a seat in the East Stand at Stamford Bridge to be snapped by the assembled photographers.
His Chelsea debut came on the opening day of the 2001/02 campaign in a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge. His fellow debutant Boudewijn Zenden had opened the scoring for the Blues before we were pegged back.
The first of many. Lampard opened his Chelsea account with a close-range finish in a 3-0 win against Levski Sofia in the UEFA Cup. Here, he is congratulated by team-mates Zenden, Gianfranco Zola and Jody Morris.
Lampard’s first taste of the Champions League group stage came at the start of the 2003/04 campaign away at Sparta Prague. It was a competition which, in the years to come, would be littered with highs and lows.
Lampard scored the first of two goals in a 2-0 win away at Tottenham in January 2005. It was an important victory as we chased a first Premier League title in 50 years.
It was another Lampard brace, this time at Bolton Wanderers, which secured the title. Here he celebrates after scoring his second, with the Chelsea bench in the background on their feet.
So often team-mates on the international stage, Lampard shook hands with Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard in October 2005 after we’d beaten the Merseyside outfit 4-1 at Anfield. Lampard had opened the scoring from the penalty spot.
Lampard was rewarded for his impressive performances over the course of 2005 when he was runner up to Ronaldinho in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards, with future Chelsea team-mate Samuel Eto’o voted into third place.
in the photo above, Lampard celebrates on an open-top bus after the Blues secured a second consecutive League title in 2005/06.
During his time as a Chelsea player Lampard had a knack of scoring against West Ham, his former employers. Here, he nets from the penalty spot at Upton Park on our way to a 4-0 victory in 2008.
The 2009/10 season will go down in history as we clinched a Premier League and FA Cup double for the very first time. Lampard scored the second goal in a 2-0 win at Liverpool, a result which all but secured the championship.
In the absence of John Terry, Lampard skippered the side in the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich. After 120 minutes of football had failed to separate the sides it was down to penalties, and the midfielder made no mistake with his strike in the triumphant shoot-out.
The following season he surpassed Bobby Tambling’s record to become the club’s all-time highest goalscorer. It was a brace at Villa Park which took him past the former Chelsea striker and here he salutes the travelling Blues faithful at the final whistle.
Lampard poses with Tambling at the 2012/13 Player of the Year ceremony after being handed a special recognition award.
Goal number 211. His last in a Chelsea shirt came in a 3-0 win against Stoke City back in April. Lampard’s penalty had been saved by Asmir Begovic but he reacted quickest to fire home the rebound in front of the Matthew Harding Stand, the scene of so many of his memorable strikes for the club.
>>Click to read again our May 2013 tribute to Frank Lampard becoming the club’s all-time highest scorer.