England’s vice-captain for the FIFA World Cup 2014, Frank Lampard, has confirmed his departure from one of Europe’s top footballing powerhouses to Major League Soccer side New York City FC on a free transfer, after spending 13 years at the West-London club.

The 35-year-old Lampard, who moved across London from West Ham United in August 2001 for 11 million pounds, leaves Chelsea FC with 211 goals to his name in 648 appearances.

He won all major trophies possible with the club: bagged the Premier League thrice, the Champions League and Europa League once each, four FA Cups and two League Cups (also known as the Carling Cup) along the way.

On and off the pitch, he is a character that will impress any football fan or pundit.

Lampard’s first recognition came in 2003/2004 when he was nominated in the PFA team of the year after scoring 10 goals in the season, for the first time in his career. The next season saw ‘Super Frank’, as he’s referred to by the Stamford Bridge faithful, score 13 goals in the league, 19 in all competitions, highly impressive for a box-to-box midfielder.

In April 2005, Lampard’s goal against Bolton Wanderers in a 2-0 win saw Chelsea lift the Premier League trophy for the first time in 50 years of top-flight football. Lampard was named the league’s player of the season.

He was also instrumental in Chelsea’s second consecutive league trophy triumph in 2006, where he scored 16 goals and finished the runner-up to Barcelona’s Ronaldinho for the Ballon d’Or.

Chelsea’s game against Barcelona in the 2007 Champions League’s group stage saw Lampard stun the crowd and millions at home when he curled a chip over keeper Victor Valdes and inside the far post from the edge of the box, from the tightest of angles, enough to make me and others watching jump out of their seats!

In February 2008, Lampard completed his 100 goals for the club and after the match ended, he flashed a T-shirt that said ‘100 not out, they are all for you! Thanks’ -- how can one not admire his magnetism?

Later that year, Lampard was named UEFA’s midfielder of the year.

In August 2008/2009, Lampard penned a five-year contract extension worth 39.2 million pounds with Chelsea, becoming the highest-paid Premier League player.

He slotted his 20th goal of the season in their FA Cup final victory over Everton. This was the fourth consecutive season Lampard had managed to score 20 plus goals, phenomenal for a midfielder.

The bravest moment of Lampard’s career came the same season, in Chelsea’s Champions League quarter-finals’ second-leg against Liverpool, when a very emotional Lampard stepped up to take a penalty, only a few days after his mother’s demise. He slotted home the perfect penalty and broke into tears, pointing towards the heavens as a tribute to his mother and his biggest fan, Pat Lampard.

A couple of years later Lampard helped Chelsea make a remarkable Champions League comeback against Napoli in the quarter-finals’ second-leg of the 2011/2012 season. He later captained Chelsea in the victory over Bayern Munich in the final, lifting his and the club’s first UEFA Champions League trophy.

On May 11, 2013, Lampard broke Sir Bobby Tambling’s record for Chelsea’s highest goal-scorer with 203 goals for the club. He also lifted the UEFA Europa League that season as the club’s captain.

Thirteen years, 211 goals and 648 first-team caps later, Lampard leaves Chelsea as a living legend. Whether he ends his career at New York City FC or anywhere else in the world, it’s safe to say, ‘Super Frank’ will always be in the hearts of the Chelsea fans.

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