Frank Lampard hopes to come back to haunt Manchester City as he squares off against his old club. The Blues legend has form upsetting ex-colleagues after previously scoring against a Chelsea defence led by best pal John Terry.
Lampard's 2014 City move and Chelsea goal
Lampard once said he'd never play for another Premier League club but reneged on that pledge when he signed a short-term deal at City in 2014. He rubbed salt in the wound by netting in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea a month after his move to the Etihad.
Fellow Blues veteran Ashley Cole had also departed in the summer of 2014 when he left to join Italian outfit Roma. Terry struggled to wrap his head around seeing his long-term colleagues playing in other colours, never mind scoring against him.
"It just doesn’t seem right to see them (Lampard and Cole) in different shirts," said Terry at the time. "Maybe over time that will ease but it doesn’t seem right. We have grown up together and won and lost together at Chelsea. We have done many great things and it was sad to see them go."
Lampard's Chelsea legacy and City context
Lampard holds godly status at Stamford Bridge and remains the club's all-time top scorer with 211 goals in 648 appearances. Terry, meanwhile, maintains a part-time coaching role with Chelsea's academy as he looks to bring up the next generation of Blues stars.
The former's move to City came about as a by-product of his transfer to sister club New York City FC. Lampard controversially agreed a six-month deal at the Etihad before his move to New York was made official, even though the Major League Soccer side had already announced him as their player.
While he didn't celebrate his goal against Chelsea, Lampard also didn't shy away from revelling in the moment. Terry may have been taken aback to hear his long-term friend say he was even "proud" to score against his club of 13 years.
Lampard's reflection and current clash
"It was a pretty surreal day for me," he told City's official website while looking back on the match in 2024. "Everyone made a huge deal of it and I understand why but, for me, I was proud to score for my new club, that professional instinct and I was very pleased but also very respectful of Chelsea. There was a little bit of fate in it, of course. Maybe I had some inside info on when to make the runs coming up against my old team-mates at Chelsea. And it just happened."
Coventry and City couldn't be in much more opposite situations heading into today's clash at the Etihad. Enzo Maresca's men are sat at the top of the table coming into matchweek three of the Premier League campaign, while Lampard & Co are hovering just outside the relegation zone having failed to earn a point thus far.
Lampard, who has also coached Chelsea across two separate stints, would like nothing more than to use City as a springboard to success. It wouldn't be the first time a former employer has helped him climb the ranks in sky blue.
