Frank Lampard made ‘desperate’ plea for ‘absolutely fantastic’ Chelsea player to sign new contract, he didn’t listen

Add as preferred source on Google

Frank Lampard begged one Chelsea teammate to stay at the club back in 2012, but just a few weeks after his plea he departed Stamford Bridge.

In Chelsea’s history, there may not be a more significant time than 2012, largely because of what they achieved in May of that year.

Roberto Di Matteo, who was the club’s interim manager at the time, led them to unforgettable success.

First, Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley Stadium on 5 May 2012 in the FA Cup final.

Then, exactly two weeks later, the Blues defeated Bayern Munich on penalties in the Champions League final to lift Europe’s elite club trophy for the first time in their history.

• READ MORE: Petr Cech shares what he told his wife before Chelsea’s 2012 Champions League win

Frank Lampard begged Didier Drogba not to leave Chelsea in 2012

At the time, Frank Lampard was quite vocal that he didn’t want teammate Didier Drogba to leave West London. However, the striker’s contract with the Blues was expiring at the end of the 2011/12 season.

Drogba scored the winning goal as Chelsea edged out Liverpool in the FA Cup final. He then followed that up with a memorable display in the Champions League final triumph, scoring inside 90 minutes and converting the match-winning spot-kick in the penalty shootout.

In between the two cup finals in May 2012, Lampard publicly admitted that he was very keen for Drogba to extend his deal with Chelsea.

When discussing Drogba’s future as quoted by The Guardian on 6 May 2012, Lampard said: “I am desperate for him to stay. He is a magnificent player. He’s a machine. His body is a machine when you look at him stripped down. He’s lost no pace, he’s lost none of his finishing instinct.

“But as a man I love Didier and whatever he decides to do, whether he stays or whatever, he has been a hero for this club and will go down as a legend. He is an absolutely fantastic player. The amount of important goals he has got for us in cup finals and big games throughout his career makes him an icon and historical figure at Chelsea, without a doubt.”

As we now know, Drogba did announce shortly after winning the Champions League that he would be leaving Chelsea that summer.

The Blues legend did return for a brief spell to the club in the 2014/15 season a couple of years later as he picked up a fourth Premier League title-winning medal.

Now retired, the Ivory Coast icon has left an incredible legacy in the sport.

Chelsea’s Jadon Sancho admitted Drogba was one of his favourite players growing up. Meanwhile, Micah Richards admitted he hated playing against Drogba.

The Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba connection

In Lampard and Drogba, Chelsea were so fortunate to own one of the most productive partnerships in world football at the time.

Lampard was the goalscoring midfielder who mastered late arrivals into the box. On top of that, he formed a superb relationship with dominant central striker Drogba.

Here is a look at the career record of Lampard and Drogba as a partnership:

Lampard said he had an amazing relationship off the pitch with Drogba, which certainly showed when they connected together on the pitch in Chelsea colours. We doubt we’ll see such a world-class link up ever again at Stamford Bridge.