Frank Lampard, a Chelsea legend, has been named the fourth player to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
After the league’s all-time leading scorer Alan Shearer and Arsenal hero, Thierry Henry were announced as the two inaugural inductees last month, the midfielder joins Manchester United legend Eric Cantona as the fourth player voted in by fans from a 23-man shortlist.
Despite playing as a midfielder, only four players have scored more Premier League goals than Lampard: Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Andy Cole, and Sergio Aguero.
The Englishman began his career with West Ham and went on to play in the Premier League for over 600 times, most of them for Chelsea, before ending his career with Manchester City.
Lampard said: “As a young lad I remember just wanting to make it in to the West Ham team, and looking up to players like Roy Keane, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry so to be mentioned in the same bracket as them is a real honour. I am very proud and thankful for the recognition.”
Lampard was a crucial member of the Chelsea team that, under Jose Mourinho, ended the Arsenal & United dominance in the late 1990s and early 2000s by winning back-to-back titles in 2004/05 and 2005/06.
During the first of those seasons, the Blues’ all-time highest goalscorer was voted Premier League Player of the Season, and they went on to win the title for the third time in 2009/10.