On this day 10 years ago, Frank Lampard captained City in his final-ever Premier League match, scoring to give the Blues a 2-0 win over Southampton before his move to sister club, New York City. Check out this in-depth interview with Lampard below, first published in February 2024.
Frank Lampard is unequivocal when asked about his time playing for Manchester City, warmly and nostalgically exclaiming: ‘I loved it from day one’.
Lampard joined City, then Premier League champions, in August 2014 and had a solitary season in blue.
Lampard admits it was a ‘tough decision’ to sign for City due to his affiliation with Chelsea, where he’d won the Champions League, the Europa League, three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and two Community Shields.
But the chance of a new adventure and, importantly, the opportunity to remain in the Premier League was too good an opportunity to miss.
It a decision he’s never regretted, despite those initial concerns.
“It was tough because my career had been so long at Chelsea and I was so associated with Chelsea.
“If I’m honest, I’d never envisaged playing anywhere else in the Premier League but the pull of Manchester City was huge.
“I was proud that City, who were champions at the time, wanted to take me on board at 36-years-old.
“When I spoke to Manuel at the time in New York, he felt I could help the squad because he thought they needed some experience in there.
“I took the leap because it was a top club at the time and was going to be, I thought, another great experience for me and a great opportunity to stay in the Premier League, which is the greatest in the world.
“There were a lot of pluses. But I did toy with it a bit because of my association with Chelsea.
“I had good conversations with Manuel. I really liked him. I really liked him from the moment I met him – very calm, very composed, very experienced. I liked his tone and his team.
“I found him very comfortable to work with. He wasn’t a man of a million words but when he spoke he made a lot of sense and was very calm in his delivery.
“And then there was Brian Kidd. Kiddo was amazing for me. He was part of the staff and I’d worked with him at various times with England and he was just amazing. He was a familiar face and it made me feel very comfortable.”
Lampard was a big character at Chelsea’s training ground, Cobham, shaped by 13 years in blue.
He was one of the key figures in the dressing room, leading the way alongside the likes of John Terry and Didier Drogba.
It was a different story as he swapped London for Manchester, arriving - in his own words - as the ‘new boy at school’.
It was a unusual feeling for the attacking midfielder but he soon won over his new teammates.
"It was really strange. Being at Chelsea for so long, I had the same drive into the training ground, the same faces when I got there, the same dressing room day after day."
“I was established in it and then going to City, I think the first day I absolutely felt like I was going back to school – the new boy – because even though I’d got a long career behind me, sitting in a different dressing room with Aguero, Milner, Richards, Nasri, Toure was a different environment for me.
“At first, I kept quiet just to gauge the dynamics but I was delighted to get a good feeling so quickly.
“I felt real respect from the players, they were very helpful in terms of settling in and I tried to keep my head down and get training and show them I was serious and wanted to come in and help.
“I was made to feel very, very welcome, not just by the players but by all the staff at the training ground. I loved it from day one if I’m honest.”
It wasn’t just the environment that changed for Lampard.
He had a new kit colour to get used to! It was blue – but a different shade!