After an illustrious 13 year career at Chelsea, Frank Lampard finally hung the curtain on his time at the club in 2014.
The Chelsea legend had established himself as the top scorer in their history, an extraordinary achievement for anyone, let alone a midfielder.
Lampard is seen as the best trainer during his time at the club, with him always maintaining the highest standards during his time at Stamford Bridge.
This was key to the Blues having an extremely successful period with the Englishman at the heart of their side. Jose Mourinho was one of the managers who helped lead them to two Premier League titles in that time.
Chelsea became a target to other top teams at the time, being the new kids on the block who would often manage to get the better of long-term big dogs such as Manchester United and Arsenal.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
One of the most high-profile of these occasions was when the Blues got the better of the Gunners in the 2007 League Cup final thanks to two late Didier Drogba goals.
This game was also notable for a hefty clash between Lampard and Cesc Fabregas, with the two needing to be separated by their teammates.
The two would have more unfriendly exchanges when the Spaniard moved to Barcelona, however the irony of the situation is it was Fabregas who Mourinho deemed to be the heir to Lampard at Stamford Bridge.
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The World Cup winner went on to play nearly 200 times for the Blues, boasting impressive stats to go alongside two league titles of his own.
Cesc Fabregas Chelsea stats Total
Games 198
Goals 22
Assists 57
Fabregas stated in 2020 that it was not until the World Cup in 2018 when the two put to rest a feud that had been going on for more than a decade.
He said to The Telegraph: “We met each other at the World Cup in Russia working for the BBC and we went to the gym together. We were having lunch together and that was when he had just signed for Derby, and I was asking him questions about how he saw the situation and he was explaining his plans a little bit.
“This is what football is about. I respect him so much for what he has done with Chelsea and for football in general. He was a fantastic player and a fantastic opponent to play against. Of course, I disliked him, because many times they beat us and it was difficult to play against him, but always with respect and admiration.”
Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images
Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images
Cesc Fabregas’ post-playing career
After retiring as a player, Fabregas has taken the transition to management seamlessly, currently in charge of Como.
He recently led his side to a huge win over Antonio Conte’s Napoli side, as they look to establish themselves as a regular in Serie A.
Manchester City are reportedly monitoring Fabregas as a potential Pep Guardiola replacement, something which would bring even more similarities between the Spaniard and Lampard.
The former Chelsea boss also had a short stint at the Etihad as a player after departing Stamford Bridge.