Central Midfielder: Frank Lampard
As far as great Premier League midfielders go, Frank Lampard must certainly be in the top 5, if not the top 3. If David Silva was all grace and poise, Lampard was boundless energy in a bounded form. As an all-time Chelsea and West Ham great, Lampard won a total of 14 trophies in a 20-year long playing career.
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Lampard moved to Chelsea in 2001 for 11 million pounds after graduating from the famed West Ham United academy, which has produced the likes of Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe, Rio Ferdinand and his Chelsea teammate and long time captain John Terry. The very fact that he is included in this team is testament to his unbelievable ability, given that he started this decade at the age of 32, when most players tend to wind down.
Instead, Lampard continued to shine, averaging 1.7 shots, 1.4 tackles, and 1.2 interceptions per game from 2010 to 2015, including one season with Manchester City, before joining New York City and ending his career in the USA. He also averaged 1.4 key passes per game whilst scoring 48 goals and providing 12 assists in 141 league appearances in this decade. This has given him a minutes per goal involvement ratio of 148, from the ages of 32 to 37, a figure most players would love to have in their prime, never mind the latter stages of their career.
Lampard was also an extremely underrated passer, often completing 40 passes a game on average, with a pass completion rate of 85%. His last season in the Premier League, with Manchester City in 2014/15, saw him register 6 goals(including a winner against Chelsea) and 1 assist, in just 10 starts and 991 minutes of football all season, at the ripe old age of 37. He also holds numerous Premier League records, including the record for most goals by a midfielder in a season, most successive league appearances and most goals from outside the box, among others.
Lampard is now manager of his beloved Chelsea, after a spell with Derby County in the Championship, where his attacking style of football and emphasis on youth development has earned him yet more adulation from the Stamford Bridge faithful. It's safe to say that 'Super Frank' may well have more to give this game.
