After joining the Guinness World Records for goals scored against 39 different Premier League clubs, Frank Lampard revealed to the London Evening Standard that former teammate Gianfranco Zola inspired him to set his world record.
Between 1997 and 2014, only five teams in the English top flight managed to hold the Englishman goalless over his 17 years in the league.
“I came to Chelsea as quite a shy boy; I think it was a big fee I came for. I’m not sure I felt that comfortable in the dressing room straight away because of the big names around me.
“Zola took me under his wing. I was fascinated by the way that at 35, and very established as a world-class player, he still trained and practised his free-kicks daily. He was always the last on the training ground, always looked after himself impeccably, really lived well and I learned from that.
“I watched how he played, how he was a gentleman off the pitch. I thought ‘that’s how I’d like to be’ if I could get anywhere near what he has done in the game. He was certainly someone I looked up to.”
Lampard managed to net 177 Premier League goals against the 39 teams. Ironically enough, the 39th club that fell victim to a Lampard strike was none other than the club which he became the all-time leading goalscorer for – Chelsea.
“It’s quite hard to put into words. I still have such a great relationship with the club and particularly the fans, who supported me from day one. Coming from West Ham, an east London boy to west London, it’s not necessarily an easy move.
“But they took to me very quickly and I never forgot that. We had a really close bond. I never imagined scoring against them. I never imagined coming to Manchester City, but that’s what happens in football.
“It was a strange feeling, I was really pleased when I came home on the day. At the end I was fortunate enough that I had all the Chelsea fans singing and appreciating me, having just scored against them, and the Man City fans, my new club at the time, doing the same. I was very lucky there.”
Super Frank, a “shy boy” from Romford, is now a world record holder – and what a feat it is.
