Frank Lampard wore an England shirt for 15 years, and it turns out the 2014 World Cup will stand as the last time anyone sees him competing in one. The Chelsea legend and current New York City FC midfielder has announced his retirement from international football.
Frank Lampard retires from England duty
Paul Gilham
Lampard probably wishes he got to go out on a better note, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be up for selection by the time Euro 2016 rolls around anyway. A solid 2013-14 campaign for Chelsea got him into the England setup for the World Cup, but playing in MLS probably would have prevented him from being selected. Even if he did light up the league and prove he deserved to retain his place, the regular flights across the Atlantic wouldn’t have been particularly nice to either the team paying his salary or his body.
Unfortunately, despite his many achievements and brilliant performances for the Three Lions, Lampard will be unable to escape his association with a failed Golden Generation and his completely unsuitable midfield mate, Steven Gerrard. At their peak, the England duo were two of the best midfielders on earth, but they also played the exact same position. None of Sven-Göran Eriksson, Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello or Roy Hodgson ever figured out how to use them correctly.
Instead of dropping one or putting together a team that could accommodate both of them, numerous England managers put them together in a two-man center over and over, and it was a spectacular failure every time. Through almost no fault of their own, Lampard and Gerrard -- along with David Beckham, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand and the rest of the Golden Generation -- never reached the semifinals of a major tournament.
Despite those struggles, Lampard was brilliant at Euro 2004 and during England's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign. He leaves England with 106 caps and 29 goals to his name, and probably deserves to be remembered as one of the country's greatest players ever. But sadly, he will always be the first part of a cliche -- "Lampard and Gerrard" -- that will be used to describe problems with England until the end of footballing time.
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