Nationality: British
Date of Birth: 20 June 1978
Place Of Birth: Romford, London, England
Playing Position: Midfielder
Current Club: Chelsea
Club Career: 1994–2001 West Ham United
1995–1996 → Swansea City (loan)
2001 → Chelsea
International Career: England
Chelsea
2001-02 and 2002-03
Lampard signed for Chelsea on May 15, 2001 for £11 million, one of the first signings of then Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri. Lampard’s improvement at Stamford Bridge has been slow but spectacular. Despite being an ever present in the first eleven, his first two seasons at Chelsea were sometimes bogged down by his massive transfer fee and later eclipsed by the scintillating form of Gianfranco Zola. It wasn’t until his third season with Chelsea - coinciding with the arrival of Roman Abramovich - that he fully blossomed, establishing himself as one of the top midfielders in Europe.
Lampard made his debut for Chelsea in a pre-season game against Leyton Orient on July 26, 2001, and scored his first goal for the club in another pre-season match, against Northampton Town, a 7–1 away victory, on August 1, 2001. His Premiership debut for Chelsea came on August 19, 2001, in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United. Despite being sent off in only his fourth Premiership game for Chelsea, against Tottenham Hotspur on September 16, 2001 - the only dismissal of his Chelsea career - he had a productive first season, missing only one match and scoring seven goals in all competitions.
In the 2002–03 season for Chelsea, Lampard enjoyed a solid season, not missing a match throughout the campaign. He enjoyed a fruitful start to the season, scoring the winning goal in the opening league game of the season in a 3–2 victory over Charlton, and scoring again a week later against Southampton. He followed up this good early-season goal-scoring form by notching a strike against Viking in the UEFA Cup, a tie which Chelsea went on to lose. Lampard scored eight goals in all competitions as Chelsea finished fourth in the Premiership, giving him the chance to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in his career.
2003-04
Lampard had an impressive start to the next season with his club, being selected as the Barclays Player of the Month in September 2003 and the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month in October. This was the season when Lampard’s goal-scoring prowess came to the fore, notching up double-figures in league goals for the first of thus-far four consecutive seasons. Chelsea reached the semi-final of the Champions League before being eliminated by AS Monaco, with Lampard scoring four goals in fourteen games, including strikes in both the quarter-finals (against Arsenal) and the second-leg against Monaco. Chelsea also finished second in the Premiership behind Arsenal, their highest finish in the top division since winning the title in 1955.
2004-05
The 2004-05 season was the most successful in Chelsea’s history, and Lampard was at its centre. He played in all 38 of the club’s Premiership matches, scoring 13 goals (out of his 19 all season), remarkable for a midfielder, helping Chelsea to win their first title in 50 years by a 12-point margin. He scored another four goals in the Champions League as Chelsea made the semi-finals for the second successive year. His two goals in six matches were also instrumental in his club’s League Cup victory.
So impressive was his form during the Champions League and league run that former Brazilian captain Carlos Alberto and Dutch footballer Johann Cruyff both referred to him as one of Europe’s best midfielders, and he ended the 2004-05 season by winning the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award. read more at wikipedia
