Lampard - player of the decade?

[the wes 7,212]

FRANK LAMPARD is the Player of the Decade - according to official stats.

The Chelsea and England midfield star is the dominant figure in Premier League statistics over the past 10 years.

Facts and figures' wizards Opta have looked back at every Premier League game since January 1, 2000 and Lamps is the man who emerges with most honour.

The 31-year-old ace boasts:

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Most games

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Most wins

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Second-most assists

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Fourth-highest goals record

Lampard pips Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher by five games to most appearances with a total of 346 - 210 of which have been wins.

He comes second to Ryan Giggs with 76 assists and bagged 100 goals, finishing fourth behind top scorer Thierry Henry, who netted 169 times for Arsenal.

Signed from West Ham for £11million in June 2001 by Claudio Ranieri, he must go down as one of football's greatest-ever buys.

Ranieri told SunSport last night: "This news fills me with a great satisfaction and pride because Frank Lampard is totally unique.

"He is a complete player and so professional. It doesn't surprise me that he is the best statistically, ahead of other players you might consider to be even bigger stars.

"I'll tell you something. In my view Frank Lampard is a genuine 'Pallone d'oro' - which means he should be a European Footballer of the Year. He really is that good.

"He is up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of quality - he is just a different type of player.

"He does difficult things but he makes them look simple and that is why some people think he is less spectacular.

"But I am glad the statistics have shown what a great player Lampard is. They show just how influential he is.

"Lampard has such a strong mentality and that probably shines through too. Only the other day he had to take a penalty three times but he still scored. That tells you how cool he is under pressure, how focused.

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"Frank makes a difference to any game he is in. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes it is less obvious. But he is so often the key to a victory.

"That's why I am really glad that he has been recognised in some way as the player of the decade in England."

Lampard's father, Frank Snr, was thrilled by his son's Player of the Decade accolade.

He said: "To do this over a decade is something special - he has done it by working very, very hard.

"I call him the Bobby Moore of the midfield. He does not try to do the impossible things that can look good on the eye if they come off.

"He's not crash, bang, wallop, either. Instead, he sticks to the things he knows can work and makes sure it's the team that he puts first.

"To score so many goals is a magnificent achievement for a midfielder. He plays in a team where everyone wants to score but he is the one who is consistently on the scoresheet."

Chelsea coach Ray Wilkins added: "Frank's contribution has been immense over the last decade, both for Chelsea and England.

"The consistency he has shown has been remarkable and he is still producing the same top-quality performances that he was a decade ago."

In contrast, the biggest loser of the decade was Hull's Kevin Kilbane, who lost 146 times.

Robbie Savage, now at Derby, was the naughty boy of the noughties finishing top of the bad boys league for most bookings and red cards - elbowing Kevin Davies of Bolton into second place.

Well Done My Son

:champions:

TheSun

Edited December 24, 2009 by the wes

[Milan 17,859]

WOW, this is something I was thinking about a few weeks ago. And it's right. If anybody deserves to win this award, it's him. He's been outstanding year in year out for that period. It's shame he hasn't won any of those awards like European Player of the Year etc. But this would be something special...

Well done Lampsy, well done

[boshman 1,073]

And so he should be! He has been by far the most consistent player in the premier league in the past decade and the stats obviosuly prove that. Well done Lamps and keep it up.

[the wes 7,212]

Roma coach Claudio Ranieri is delighted that Chelsea star Frank Lampard has been recognised as the Premiership's greatest player of the past decade.

Facts and figures' wizards Opta have looked back at every Premier League game since January 1, 2000 and Lamps is the man who emerges with most honour.

Signed from West Ham for £11million in June 2001 by Ranieri, he must go down as one of football's greatest-ever buys.

Ranieri told The Sun: "This news fills me with a great satisfaction and pride because Frank Lampard is totally unique.

"He is a complete player and so professional. It doesn't surprise me that he is the best statistically, ahead of other players you might consider to be even bigger stars. I'll tell you something. In my view Frank Lampard is a genuine 'Pallone d'oro' - which means he should be a European Footballer of the Year. He really is that good.

"He is up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of quality - he is just a different type of player. He does difficult things but he makes them look simple and that is why some people think he is less spectacular.

"But I am glad the statistics have shown what a great player Lampard is. They show just how influential he is.

"Lampard has such a strong mentality and that probably shines through too. Only the other day he had to take a penalty three times but he still scored. That tells you how cool he is under pressure, how focused.

"Frank makes a difference to any game he is in. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes it is less obvious. But he is so often the key to a victory. That's why I am really glad that he has been recognised in some way as the player of the decade in England."

tribalfootball.com

[Laylabelle 9,381]

Awwwwwww yay!!! If only he got the recongnation he deserved from others.Hey ho hopfully his time will come and hope he keeps it up

[Rambo 1,729]

Lampard will never be recognized because his game isn't as flashy as Messi/Ronaldo. Still can't believe Giggs won the FA player of the year last season, such bullshit.

[bombayblue™ 55]

I take it as a welcome accolade.. Sheer brilliance and consistent at that..

The thing with Opta stats however is they released some stats which showed henry as the best player in the world last season and Pizarro was in amongst the top 10..

Heck, I ain't complaining..

[Ray. 217]

Richly deserved, well done Frank.

[Ollie 4,400]

Great stuff. Be nice if he bangs in some more goals for us this season tho, we could do with some within the next 4 weeks big time.

Frank Lampard Junior = Legend.