Evergreen Lampard keen to play beyond 2014 World Cup

Frank Lampard has reiterated his desire to play in the 2014 World Cup next summer to the official Chelsea website. This shows how the passion for the game continues to flow through the veins of our record goal scorer; it is clear he isn’t ready to hang up his boots just yet.

The midfielder recently signed a new one-year contract at Stamford Bridge and enjoyed a superb end to the season, netting a vital winning brace against Aston Villa and performing well for England against Ireland and Brazil.

His value at club level goes far beyond a name on the team sheet and while many Chelsea football betting fans expect the 34-year-old to retire come next May, clearly he has no plans to do so.

“I would love to stay involved with England until the World Cup”, he said. “I need to be playing regularly and well to do that, and we have a big squad.

“Now I’ve signed the extra year though it’s up to me to come back in pre-season and onwards and show I can do that.”

If Lampard is good enough to play a full season and take part in the World Cup then he is surely worthy of a contract extension past next summer. His influence on the pitch is like few in the Premier League; from 57 appearances for club and country last term he scored 23 goals, created nine more and fired 65 efforts on target.

What is most important, however, is his influence in the centre of the park. Despite playing so many matches Lampard rarely lets a jaded mind hamper his game and he made just 26 fouls all season, drawing 25 himself. That speed to get out of a challenge and timing to win the ball when defending is why he works so well as a central midfielder and why he can always be relied upon in tight situations.

These aren’t the stats of a player on the verge of retirement and both Chelsea and England fans should be glad Lampard didn’t jet off to the States or Australia when the season ended.

The vice-captain still has a lot to offer football and he will be on Roy Hodgson’s plane to Brazil next summer, a fitting tribute to a player who has made the difference for club and country for over a decade now.