Introducing... Frank Lampard

New Derby County boss Frank Lampard needs little introduction to football fans, having enjoyed a glittering 21-year playing career during which he was widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of the modern era.

His playing days saw him line up alongside some of the greatest names in English, European and World football and, in domestic football, Lampard won the Premier League on three occasions, lifted the FA Cup four times and won the EFL Cup and the Community Shield twice each – on top of winning the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

Now, he will take his first step into management at Pride Park Stadium and dcfc.co.uk has taken a look back at a truly memorable career as both Lampard and the Rams move onto the next chapter…

The Early Years

Lampard followed in his father’s footsteps by starting his career with West Ham United.

He made his debut against Coventry City in January 1996 but prior to that, he spent a short time on loan with Second Division side Swansea City and he scored his first professional goal during the spell in Wales.

His progression was halted in March 1997 when he suffered a broken leg, but the midfielder soon returned and during the 1998/99 season, he played all 38 Premier League games, something that he would do three more times in his career.

Lampard also began to establish his reputation as a goalscoring midfielder, as he reached double figures twice during his time at West Ham, as well as recording his first-ever career hat-trick.

Harry Redknapp - his uncle - departed the club in May 2001, and after Chelsea bid £11 million for Lampard’s services, he made the move to Stamford Bridge a month later.

Finding His Feet

The price-tag was high and there were questions if Lampard could step up to the next level as he arrived on Fulham Road.

Chelsea started the season well and Lampard found his feet quickly as well as discovering the incredible consistency that would become a hallmark of his playing career.

By coming on as a substitute against Leicester City in October, it began his then-record run of 164 consecutive Premier League appearances.

Lampard had to wait until December to score his first league goal for the club, but he soon followed that up with strikes in back-to-back games, and he ended the campaign with seven in all competitions.

He went on to better that the following season, but 2003/04 was the breakthrough year for Lampard in west London as he scored 15 goals in all competitions, whilst he also featured in the Champions League for the first time.

Lampard was named in the PFA Team of the Year, but Chelsea fell just short in their pursuit of silverware, both domestically and in Europe.

Reaching the Summit

Fortunately for Lampard, he didn’t have to wait long to get his hands on the Premier League trophy.

The midfielder contributed 13 goals and 16 assists during the 2004/05 season as Chelsea cruised to their first league title in 50 years, with Lampard scoring twice at Bolton Wanderers to secure the crown under Jose Mourinho.

He started the following campaign in scintillating form, scoring 10 goals in his first 11 league games as Chelsea made it back-to-back titles, but Lampard also began to earn individual recognition.

Only Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho stopped him from picking up the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award and on more than one occasion, Mourinho described him as “the best player in the world”.

Lampard won the FA Cup and League Cup during the 2006/07 campaign and he enjoyed his first sustained period as captain as John Terry suffered a series of injuries.

He reached 100 goals for the club in 2008 but Chelsea were coming under increasing pressure for their failure to land Europe’s biggest prize and despite Lampard’s equaliser in the Champions League final in Moscow, Avram Grant’s side missed out on penalties against Manchester United.

Another FA Cup followed in 2009, before Carlo Ancelotti led Chelsea to the domestic double the following year, with Lampard enjoying his best-ever individual campaign by scoring 27 times in all competitions.

Changing Roles and European Glory

Lampard suffered with injuries during the 2010/11 season as he played less than 40 games in all competitions for the first time since his final year with West Ham.

He was one of a number of senior players to suffer when Andre Villas-Boas was brought in as Chelsea boss the following season, but Lampard went on to play a key role under Roberto Di Matteo as Chelsea charged towards the European Cup.

His stunning through ball that led to Ramires' crucial away goal against Barcelona at the Camp Nou will live long in the memory of Chelsea fans, and Terry's earlier dismissal meant that it was Lampard that would lead his team out at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League final.

Di Matteo favoured a 4-2-3-1 system against Bayern Munich and Lampard demonstrated his immense adaptability as he shielded the defence alongside John Obi Mikel.

He went on to convert his penalty in the shoot-out as Chelsea became Champions of Europe for the first time.

Lampard made it a European double one year later by leading his side to the Europa League title, just days after two goals against Aston Villa made him Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer.

New York via Manchester and Beyond

Lampard left Chelsea at the end of his contract in the summer of 2014 and incredibly, Lampard marked his home debut for Manchester City with a goal against Chelsea.

He went on to score eight goals for City before he made the trip across the Atlantic to join New York City FC.

Lampard continued his superb goalscoring record into his final season of professional football by scoring 12 goals in 21 games for New York in 2016, before he retired from playing in February 2017 with 913 club appearances and 274 goals to his name.

Since then, Lampard has featured as a pundit on BBC’s Match of the Day, as well as being a regular on BT Sport’s Champions League coverage – as well as taking his coaching badges to prepare himself for the step up to football management.

Away from football, Lampard was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 2015.

The International Stage

Lampard made his England debut in 1999, before he scored his first goal with a long-range effort against Croatia in 2003.

He arrived at Euro 2004 in Portugal for his first international tournament and he went on to steal the show by scoring three goals, and he was named in the Team of the Tournament.