Since news of his retirement broke last week, the tributes for Frank Lampard have been pouring in. The most telling of these, perhaps, comes in the words of long-term Chelsea team-mate John Terry. The duo spent 13 years together at Chelsea, making up the tenacious spine of the side. In an emotional Twitter message to Lampard, Terry hailed the midfielder as the ‘GREATEST player’ in the history of the club. Few would argue with Lampard being one of the most influential players in Chelsea history, and Terry’s next words provide a great insight into the reasons behind this. He goes on to describe Lampard as being ‘the best trainer by a million miles every single day’, and hails his attitude as ‘setting an example for kids in the academy’. He praises the work ethic and determination of Lampard to continually improve his game: ‘You stayed out working on your finishing, 20 goals a year wasn’t good enough’.

As a youngster at West Ham, there were those who thought Lampard lacked the natural ability required to make it to the top. Throughout a stunning career, littered with silverware, he has certainly proved any doubters wrong. His story is a classic example of how a strong personality and desire to succeed can lead to greatness.

During his 13 year Chelsea career, Lampard made a total of 648 appearances in all competitions; this puts him 4th in the overall Chelsea standings. 609 appearances in the Premier League, including a record-breaking run of 164 consecutive matches, highlights the reliability and tenaciousness of the midfielder. With 177 premier league goals to his name, Lampard is the highest scoring midfielder in Premier League history. He is only behind Shearer (260), Rooney (195) and Cole (187), all strikers, in the overall standards. Significantly, the closest midfielder in the charts is Steven Gerrard on 120. With an incredible average of 0.33 goals-per-game during his Chelsea career (211 in 648 games), Lampard is widely regarded to be one of the greatest goal scoring midfielders of all time. A large part of this was down to an ability to time runs and pop-up at the critical moment, to score match-winning goals out of nowhere.

Although the above records alone can show what an incredible player Lampard was, the real story behind his success lies beyond statistics. It is in his doggedness, his leadership, and his tenaciousness. His ability to dig deep and drag his team out of trouble. There is no greater example of this than during the 2012 Champions League final in Munich. Up against a relentless Bayern Munich side, the game looked to be slipping from Chelsea’s grasp. It was a stunning, battling display of tackling by Lampard which kept them in the game. He went on to score his penalty and lift the trophy with his team-mates.

At English club level, there is no trophy which Lampard has not won. His honours include 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 1 Champions League, and 1 Europa League. The only possible regret the midfielder could have is in his international career. Part of England’s underachieving ‘golden-generation’ with the likes of Gerrard and Beckham, disappointment followed disappointment. Lampard and Gerrard failed to form a consistent midfield partnership and England were sent home early from every competition. His disallowed goal against Germany in the 2010 World Cup characterised a frustrating England career.

Nonetheless, his club record ensures that Lampard retires as a legend of world football. A true gentleman, with an incredible work ethic, he will be remembered as one of the Premier League’s greatest ever players.