The man famously referred to as “Super Frank” retired from international football yesterday. Frank Lampard decided to pull the plug on his international career at the age of 36 with 106 caps for the national side.
The Englishman debuted internationally against Belgium in 1999, which the English won 2-1. He scored his first goal for the national side in 2003, cruising past Croatia 3-1. He was also the top scorer for England in the World Cup qualifiers in 2006, the campaign which unfortunately ended in the quarter-finals against Portugal.
Lampard was involved in a huge controversy at the South Africa World Cup of 2010 which saw his team crash out of the tournament in the Last-16 round. England played Germany in the first knockout round and being 2-1 behind, Lampard’s shot hit the underside of the crossbar and clearly bounced behind the goal line. However, the goal was not given and England was eliminated with the final score as 4-1. Many believe that this was the final straw in the goal-line technology debate.
Lampard surpassed David Platt in March 2014 to become the highest scoring midfielder ever for the English side with 28 goals in his kitty. He was given the final farewell in the 2014 World Cup as he captained the side in a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica in the group stage.
Lampard’s collection of trophies at the club level outshines his contribution to the English side. The man won three Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League, four FA Cups and two League Cups for Chelsea. Lampard made his debut at the club level for West Ham United but moved to Chelsea in 2001 and burst onto the scene in Mourinho’s reign.
Frank Lampard’s decision to quit international football comes after a number of veteran footballers quit their respective national sides. Andrea Pirlo, Miroslav Klose, Steven Gerrard and David Villa are among many others who decided to end their international career.
Lampard is currently at rival club, Manchester City on a loan from New York FC after leaving Chelsea in the 2014 summer transfer window.
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