Crème de la crème: Frank Lampard's most iconic goals

Record goalscorer Frank Lampard of Chelsea poses for an adidas photo at Stamford Bridge on May 16, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

“To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” quipped the French poet, Anatole France, with immaculate accuracy of life and its ways.

Frank Lampard was pursued by all of Aston Villa, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur and of course… Chelsea. He was enticed by the promise Leeds offered, and the charisma of the then manager, David O’Leary. Leeds had never finished outside the top 5 under O’Leary. But somehow, Leeds did not feel right. He was destined for elsewhere.

It was love at first sight for Claudio Ranieri. Could this chubby boy be the final jigsaw to the Chelsea puzzle?

When Frank James Lampard Jr. first tread onto the grass of Stamford Bridge, and felt the Blue shirt kissing his skin, he had a dream. A dream to escape his father’s shadows and carve a niche for himself, both in the history of football and Chelsea. A dream to prove himself at this club, to whom he had pledged his future, in blue on paper, in blue for life.

The media mocked him, calling him the worst buy of the window and 11 million for some chunky West Ham kid was a sheer waste of money. It was once said, “I can’t honestly understand why Chelsea bought him. What has Lampard actually achieved in the Premiership?” They would soon come to eat their words. It was not about what he had achieved, it was what he was about to achieve.

Looking back now, at each of the 203 goals, Lampard has left me in a conundrum to pick only a few to immortalise as his most ‘iconic’. There are goals which left me crying, laughing and gaping, wide-mouthed at the sheer talent of this player. After much headache and poring over endless videos, in no particular order, here are my most iconic Lampard goals in a Chelsea shirt:

Vs. Lazio, H (2-1), 2003/04 seasonThis was really a sign of things to come. Eidur Gudjohnsen pulled back a perfect ball to the incoming English midfielder, who had timed his run precisely and struck the ball from the edge of the D, wheeling away in celebration as it nearly tore apart the top corner of the goal.

Vs. Bayern Munich, H (4-2), 2004/05 seasonPossibly Lampard’s most iconic strike, the no. 8 had drifted into the box and expertly beyond the defenders to latch onto Claude Makelele’s lobbed pass. He chested it down, before doing an almost complete swivel and burying the ball into the bottom corner, with a sweetly-struck half volley on his weaker foot.

Vs. Fulham, A (1-4) 2004/05 seasonA free-kick quite some distance away from the goal and three Chelsea players behind it. Gudjohnsen toe-pokes it to Damien Duff who sets it up for Lampard to unleash an absolute cracker. It bullets into the net, curving in then out, much too fast for the goalkeeper to even dive. All he could do was stop and stare. Definitely worthy of a place on this list, as it further reiterates Lampard’s prowess as a long-distance shooter.

Vs. Bolton, A (0-2), 2004/05 seasonThe two goals that made every Chelsea fan’s day, month, year, century. The first goal was a testament to his physical strength, brushing off Vincent Candela before rounding the fullback and striking the ball into the back of the net. Lampard would complete his performance with another expertly-taken goal, going on a solo run after being put through by Makelele, feinting past Jussi Jaaskelainen and firing home the ball, giving the Blues their first taste of League glory in half a decade.

Vs. Everton, A (1-1), 2005-06 season and A (2-3), 2006-07 seasonAgain, Lampard showed just how much of a beast he is, striking the ball from a long way out, on two separate occasions. Almost similar goals, from similar spots, the first one was him improvising on a misplaced pass to put it well past the keeper. The second had Salomon Kalou feed him the ball from the left while he took one touch and sent it blasting home.

Vs. Hull City, A (0-3), 2008-09 seasonThey say chips or lobs are the hardest part of going for goal because controlling the power, elevation and trajectory of the ball requires years of blood, sweat and tears on the training ground. Against Hull, Lampard produced the most audacious chip, noticing Boaz Myhill just merely off his line but still managing to lob the ball from the edge of the box and over Myhill’s head. Genius, pure genius.

Vs. Everton, Wembley (2-1), 2008-09 seasonGoing behind within seconds of kick-off was never a good start to Chelsea’s bid in the FA Cup final, but after Didier Drogba equalised, it fell to Lampard to seal the match in Chelsea’s favour. A delightful shot from outside the D with his weaker foot went past a helpless Tim Howard and etched Chelsea’s name on yet another FA Cup title.

Vs. Stoke City, H (7-0), 2009-10 seasonIn what was a 7-0 mauling of Stoke, the 5^th goal was set up by young Sam Hutchinson who whipped in a teasing cross from the right and was volleyed by the outside of Lampard’s boot, and with that deft touch, the ball floated past Asmir Begovic and into the net. The control exhibited by Lampard and the decision to go for finesse rather than blasting it away showed his range of skill.

Vs. Tottenham Hotspur, Wembley (5-0), 2011-12 seasonIt was his first goal from outside the box in absolute ages and what a goal it was. A 35-yard free-kick which beat ex-Blue Carlo Cudicini’s reach and into the far corner was Chelsea’s 4^th in an emphatic 5-1 mauling of Tottenham. It sealed Spurs’ fate as the Blues went marching on to the FA Cup final which they would eventually win, courtesy of a Drogba goal from a Lampard assist.

Vs. Newcastle, A (3-2), 2012-13 seasonChesting down a beautiful lofted pass from Ashley Cole, Frank literally dusted off his Newcastle marker and struck it as sweet as honey into the back of the net, the power and placement of his shot no match for the diving figure of Tim Krul. It ended in a Chelsea loss but the goal was Lampard’s 10^th of the season, making him the first player to score at least 10 goals in 10 consecutive Premier League seasons, beating the previous record of 9…which was also held by Lampard himself.

Vs. Liverpool, H (3-2 aet), 2007-08 seasonThis goal was not an exceptional, flashy one. But for me, it ranks above any other. Days before the match, Lampard’s mother had passed away, called upon to embrace nature. One needs to only read a small excerpt from Lampard’s autobiography to understand the significance she held in his life. He had always attributed his development as a footballer to his father, and as a man, to his mother. The loss of his best supporter and worst critic could have led Lampard into an abyss of nothing but melancholy. He could have asked the club to excuse him from a few weeks of duty and surrounded himself with solitude. But that is not Frank Lampard. Frank Lampard is a warrior. Frank Lampard will sail tempestuous seas and climb rock-strewn mountains, because that is who he is. Extra time, penalty awarded. Michael Ballack takes the ball, only to be talked out of it by an emotional Frank Lampard. It was the same routine. Places the ball on the spot, takes his run up. Bang, goal. His hands instinctively point to the heavens above his head, breaking into inconsolable sobs as he does. But he’d done his job as a Chelsea player on the night; he’d sent them to their maiden Champions League final.

Vs. Barcelona, A (2-2), 2006-07 seasonThey say always reserve the best for last and I have no qualms regarding that. After initially mis-controlling the pass laid onto him, the midfielder recollected the ball which was about to run out for a goal kick. Not seeing any other Blue shirt in the box arriving as of yet, Lampard attempted the impossible and succeeded. From a near-zero angle, right from the byline, Lampard lobbed the ball over Victor Valdes’ head and into the goal. An impossible goal which would rarely then be replicated by anyone, some say he had a bit of luck involved there. I beg to differ. This is a player who’s been quoted by his teammates as someone who has practiced scoring from every angle possible on the pitch. He’s someone who stays back for half an hour after everyone’s left to work on his game. Luck? Maybe a tad. Fruit of hard labour? Definitely.

With the contract extension signed and done, Lampard is only an achievable 10 goals away from the legendary Thierry Henry in the all time Premier League top scorers’ list. What Frank Lampard has is an exceptional eye for goal, with a record most strikers would absolutely die to have. As an analyst once pointed out, we may be looking at a unique specimen here – one we have never ever seen before – a deep lying poacher. His perfect timing of runs in addition to his transcendent right foot and self-made stamina makes him a one-of-a-kind player. He’s won everything he would want to at Chelsea and finished second in the 2005 Ballon d’Or only to Ronaldinho and with every passing game, he seems to set one record or the other. But in my eyes, he remains the player whose on field presence I fell in love with as a child, years back – the one who might not boss the whole game but can produce the solitary instant of thaumaturgy which eventually decides the match. We may now have the services of some of the best young attacking midfielders, but no other player so far has acquired the timing to which Lampard can make his daunting runs. It almost seems as if Lampard has extrasensory perception – an exclusive clairvoyance – that he knows if he’s in that position on the pitch, everything he touches will become gold; or should I say GOAL(d).

12 years ago, when Frank Lampard first tread onto the grasses of Stamford Bridge and felt the Blue shirt kissing his skin for the first time, he had a dream.12 years in the making, he acted, he planned, he believed.12 years on, his dream has assumed life.

Frank Lampard.

There will never be another.