At one point imagining Chelsea without Frank Lampard and John Terry was almost unthinkable. The two became synonymous with Chelsea and all of the club's success in the Abramovich era. The captain paid tribute to the now retired former midfielder.
Terry and Lampard are to Stamford Bridge what Scholes and Giggs are to Old Trafford. Lampard didn't finish his career in West London, with Manchester City and finally New York City being home to the Englishman at the end of his career, but it takes nothing away from his achievements with the Blues.
Having moved from West Ham for £11 million in 2001 the midfielder ended up spending 13 seasons at Stamford Bridge. He became the club's all time top scorer with 211 goals and won three Premier League's and a Champions League.
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So it's no wonder that the tributes have been pouring in for Lampard after he announced today that he would be retiring from the game, after he left the MLS at the end of the season.
And Lamps old stable mate Terry paid tribute to him, calling him the best player in Chelsea's history:
It's hard to argue with Terry's suggestion that Lampard is the greatest player in the club's history.
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Lampard played during Chelsea's most successful era and along with Terry and Cech is easily one of the top performers during that period, incredibly becoming the club's all time to goalscorer despite playing in midfield.
Our video on what would have been for Chelsea without the money proves how important Terry and Lampard were to the club:
This is likely to be Terry's last season at Stamford Bridge with his contract expiring at the end of the season. The centre back may have offers from the likes of China and the MLS but could join his mate in retirement.
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Is Lampard the best midfielder in the Premier League's history?
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