Some players need no introduction. That said, there are those few names out there to have made such a valued, cherished and cultural input on the sport that their introduction truly should set the scene. In the shape of Frank Lampard, he was a player who showed incredible loyalty while spearheading Chelsea's unquestioned rise to the top of European football. Opening up as the next guest on our 'Dial Up' series his conversation is pure, candid and insightful.
While Frank Lampard's playing career has been laden with trophies, dressed in experience and global in every sense, he is still in his formative years as a manager. However, making his way to the top and gliding with the raw elegance he gave the game as a player, he is now doing as a head coach. Discussing just what it is like to make that transition from on pitch playmaker to sideline leader, his conversation is human and real. Frank discusses the true realities and exploration he went on when finally deciding to stop playing and what that decision making process was like. We explore with him, his own journey and hunger to experience new cultures as he discovered more about himself both during and post his time at Chelsea as a player.
An enviable list of accolades, Lampard is easily one of the biggest names in the game though it's in his honesty that he has always won the world over. A style of play that is hard working and true, it reflects his conversation. A man who has an endless list of experiences to match his OBE, three Premier League titles, UEFA Champions League title, four FA Cups, a UEFA Europa League title, and two Football League Cups, his journey is beyond bespoke. Being told he wouldn't make it through to becoming Chelsea's all time highest goalscorer, he's as humble as he is heroic. An England star who embodies a generation as the Premier League stepped up and stood out as the greatest, most glamorous competition on the planet.
Talking points for the episode include:
Leaving Chelsea as a player and experiencing new surroundings with Man City and New York City FC
Life in America with NYCFC and the opportunity to play with the likes of David Villa and Andrea Pirlo
Returning to the UK and exploring the media world
The call from Derby and embracing the transition from player to manager
Handling big personalities and having the right humans around him
Deciding to be a tracksuit to suit and tie kind of manager
Honesty in press conferences and how he handles media talk
A first season with Chelsea and having to blood young players with a transfer ban hanging over the club
The importance of grass roots and how that shaped his career
Listen to the full interview with Frank Lampard on IGTV.
