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Frank Lampard delighted to reach England century

By on September 8, 2013
Frank Lampard says he is

Frank Lampard has said he is delighted to be set to reach is 100th England cap

Frank Lampard has said he is delighted to be set to become only the eighth player to reach 100 caps for England, but is more concerned about how his county fairs in his milestone match against Ukraine in a key World Cup qualifier. The Chelsea midfielder earned international debut in 1999 and was the heart of England’s midfield, along with Steven Gerrard, for nearly a decade, but claims he never even dreamt of making 100 appearances for the Three Lions

“I never dreamt of getting anywhere near 100 caps to be honest,” Lampard said. “I will be very proud, 100 is a long time [playing], but first and foremost we need three points.

“The main thing is to get the result. I just hope to be involved. It wouldn’t be enjoyable to get to 100 and not do it right.”

The 35-year-old speculates that he is inside his last year of international football, and says he would love to end his international career on a high at the 2014 World Cup if England qualify for the tournament.

“Realistically, I think this will be my last year,” the former West Ham forward said. “I would love us to get to Brazil because it would prolong the year, and it would be great for me to go out there. I don’t want to say ‘I’ll retire’ because the minute I say that it’s there waiting to happen, but younger players are coming through and, at 36, not too many play on at international level.

“But I’d hate to go out in the autumn [should England fail to qualify]. I enjoy being with this group of players and working with the manager, and I have a lot of respect for him. England, as a whole, want to get to the World Cup so I wouldn’t want to go out like that. We’ll go into the Ukraine game to win it. If we lose it we’d have to remain upbeat for the two home games next month and try to win them. A lot of big teams qualify through the play-offs and then go on to do really well at tournaments. It’s not how you get there: it’s just the fact of getting there.”

Looking back on his 99 games, Lampard quickly reviewed the favorite of his 29 goals. “The first against Croatia was a good strike [in 2003]. Against France in 2004, the header which was my first tournament goal. Then I’d go for a goal I scored against Poland at Old Trafford, a volley [in 2005].”

Lampard also pointed out three of his his most special matches. “I remember the Croatia game [5-1 in 2009] was a great night; it’s one of the teams I’ve managed to score against regularly. I also loved playing against Brazil at Maracana in the summer, a great occasion and we gave a good account of ourselves. I remember beating Argentina in a friendly when Michael Owen scored late on [twice in 2005], against a really fancied team.”

Despite the highs of his career the Three Lion’s midfielder also pointed out how, although winning three Premier League titles and a Champions League with Chelsea, never managed to win anything with England.

“I don’t think you should write off every England player of the last 47 years as a failure because we’ve not won anything,” he said. “I’d like to think people will remember me as a player who gave everything and was very proud to play for his country. I’m proud to get near 100 caps because when I began playing I wouldn’t have believed I’d get past 20.’’

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.