Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard was a box-to-box midfielder who scored like a forward. He came through at West Ham, his father's old club, and joined Chelsea for £11 million in 2001. Over thirteen years at Stamford Bridge he became the club's all-time leading scorer, and he finished with 177 Premier League goals, the most by any midfielder in the competition. Timing was the heart of his goalscoring. His trademark was the late run: starting from deep, he would arrive in the penalty area from behind the play rather than waiting up front. His equaliser in the 2008 Champions League final came exactly that way, a deflected Michael Essien shot falling to him as he burst in. He also struck hard, accurate shots from distance, drove free kicks low and was a dependable penalty taker. Several of his most famous goals were struck with his left foot, including a curling chip against Hull that led Luiz Felipe Scolari to say "only a player with his intelligence could have done that." He was much more than a scorer, though. He worked hard, read the game well, and his technique and range of passing let him launch attacks the moment his side won the ball back; he led the Premier League in assists three times. At his peak he was also remarkably durable, playing every league game for three seasons running and setting a record of 164 consecutive Premier League appearances. In 2005 he was runner-up to Ronaldinho for the Ballon d'Or, and José Mourinho called him the "best player in the world". His biggest European nights showed his nerve. In 2008, a week after his mother's death, he scored a penalty in extra time of the semi-final against Liverpool to help Chelsea into the final. In the 2012 semi-final against Barcelona he dispossessed Lionel Messi to start the move for Didier Drogba's winner in the first leg, then took the armband at the Camp Nou after John Terry's red card and threaded the pass for Ramires' goal. With Terry suspended, he captained Chelsea in the final against Bayern Munich, scored in the shootout that Chelsea won and lifted the trophy alongside Terry. England is the more complicated chapter. He made the team of the tournament at Euro 2004, but he did not score at the 2006 World Cup, had his penalty saved in the quarter-final shootout and was booed by England supporters during a poor Euro 2008 qualifying run. In 2010 his shot against Germany crossed the line and was not given. He still won 106 caps and became England's highest-scoring midfielder. Gareth Southgate later put him among England's "very good" players, a step below Gascoigne, Scholes and Rooney, which is a fair place to start the argument about where he ranks.