'I Played with Gerrard and Rooney - They Weren't as Good as my Top 5 team-mates'
Frank Lampard is truly one of the Premier League's greatest ever players. To go down in history as Chelsea's record goalscorer, despite playing entirely as a central midfielder, is an incredible record that sustains his legacy. Across a storied career with Chelsea, England and Manchester City, Lampard has brushed shoulders and shared pitches with some of the best players to ever grace the sport.
In his long list of legendary teammates lies England compatriots Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, who surprisingly did not make Lampard's top five teammates from his career. As a Chelsea man, the two-time Blues manager featured several big names from his time at Stamford Bridge, but found no room for either Rooney or Gerrard, the latter of whom is in constant comparison to Lampard and Manchester United's Paul Scholes as to who the Premier League's best ever midfielder was.
Frank Lampard's Top Five Teammates |
|
---|---|
Player |
Team(s) Played In |
John Terry |
Chelsea and England |
Didier Drogba |
Chelsea |
Eden Hazard |
Chelsea |
Gianfranco Zola |
Chelsea |
Sergio Aguero |
Manchester City |
Lampard's time playing alongside Sergio Agüero may have been brief, with Lampard playing just a solitary year with the Citizen's as part of a deal taking him to co-owned MLS side New York City FC, but it was certainly long enough for the Englishman to understand just how good the Argentine was.
It was the 2014-15 season in which Lampard was teammates with Aguero, and the now-retired Manchester City legend won the Premier League golden boot in that campaign, clearly doing enough to dazzle Lampard into selecting him as one of his best-ever teammates.
On Aguero, Lampard elaborated on his talents with Planet Football:
“I was not at Man City for long, but straight away you could see that this guy was world-class. The goals he scored on the training pitch every day were frightening and he took that on to the field.
You only need to look at his record since he came to City to appreciate what a class act he is and he was great to play with.”
Frank Lampard and Sergio Aguero |
|
---|---|
Games Played Together |
26 |
Goal Combinations |
1 |
First Game Together |
Arsenal 2-2 Man City 13.09.14 |
Last Game Together |
Man City 2-0 Southampton 24.05.15 |
Whilst Italian legend Gianfranco Zola may have been in the twilight of his playing career as Lampard made his first steps into life at Chelsea, the evervescent talent that the attacking midifelder possessed had not faded away in time for Lampard to admire him.
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The duo didn't have time to win any silverware alongside one another, with Zola's last Chelsea trophy coming in 2000, the season before Lampard signed from West Ham, but they did play over 100 Premier League matches alongside one another, forming a brilliant creative partnership that now sees Zola as one of Lampard's best teammates.
Frank Lampard and Gianfranco Zola |
|
---|---|
Games Played Together |
93 |
Goal Combinations |
1 |
First Game Together |
Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle 19.08.01 |
Last Game Together |
Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool 11.05.03 |
Very little needs to be added with regard to Eden Hazard when searching for justification as to his selection in Lampard's list. Regarded as one of the most devastating wingers in the modern game, and one of the best attackers to ever grace the Premier League, Hazard was a joy to watch every time he stepped onto the pitch.
Whilst only playing two seasons alongside Lampard before the latter's 2014 departure, the Belgian's terrifying blend of speed, skill and precision was enough to convince Lampard of his selection in his team. On Hazard, Lampard said in 2021:
“There is no limit to how far he can go. Hazard is the most naturally gifted player I played with and on his day he is unstoppable."
Frank Lampard and Eden Hazard |
|
---|---|
Games Played Together |
73 |
Goal Combinations |
7 |
First Game Together |
Chelsea 2-3 Man City 12.08.12 |
Last Game Togehter |
Chelsea 0-0 Norwich City 04.05.14 |
One of the strongest, dangerous forwards in Premier League history, Didier Drogba was a striker like no other. Though his goal record bemusingly and constantly writes him out of "greatest of all-time" conversations, what Drogba brought to Chelsea was far more than goals.
With classic center-forward play, Drogba's strength and athleticism provided Chelsea with an incredible edge. He was also renowned for his performances in big games, with his game-tying goal in the 2012 Champions League final and subsequent match-winning penalty heralded as one of the most clutch performances of all time.
Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba |
|
---|---|
Games Played Together |
300 |
Goal Combinations |
57 |
First Game Together |
Chelsea 1-0 Man United 15.08.04 |
Last Game Together |
Chelsea 1-1 Bayern Munich 19.05.12 |
The duo of Frank Lampard and John Terry, across England and Chelsea, was one of the most memorable in Premier League history. Terry had more than established himself in the Chelsea first team by the 2001 arrival of Lampard, but the duo would be the first names on the Chelsea team sheet for over a decade longer, with trophies spilling over every corner they turned.
Together, they picked up a Champions League and three Premier League titles, leaving little surprise to see Terry ranked as Lampard's best ever teammate.
Frank Lampard and John Terry |
|
---|---|
Games Played Together |
581 |
Goal Combinations |
20 |
First Game Together |
Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle United 19.08.01 |
Last Game Together |
Chelsea 0-0 Norwich City 04.05.14 |
Perhaps controversially, there was to be no space in the team for either Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard, who Lampard played alongside with the England national team. Though the onus forever stuck that the trio of Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes, as talented a group it may be, didn't work well alongside one another when turning out for the Three Lions, the ability of Gerrard and Scholes was never in question, though Lampard decided that others were more deserving of a space in the mini-squad.
There was no room for Rooney either, with the legendary England and Manchester United icon missing out in favour of the likes of Hazard and Zola, with whom Lampard shared club success. Though there may be some names who have missed out to raised eyebrows, few can question neither the strength of Lampard's personal top five nor the ability of the long list of legendary colleagues Lampard shared a pitch with.