“Joining Manchester City is a fantastic opportunity for me.” These were the words Frank Lampard said after he signed for the Cityzens in 2014. Having enjoyed 13 years of unparalleled success with Chelsea, the English icon turned heads by vocally pledging his alliance with the Londoners’ arch-rivals. While the aftermath of his decision brought him into the crosshairs, Lampard insists that he ‘never envisaged’ playing for another club in the English topflight.

It’s not like Lampard was the first to join a rival English side in the world of Robin van Persie and Carlos Teves. Even though he signed for City before spending a season with the MLS’ New York City, his decision caught everyone off guard, including himself. “If I’m honest, I’d never envisaged playing anywhere else in the Premier League but the pull of Manchester City was huge,” he said while speaking with Manchester City. Yet Lampard was ‘proud‘ that they were eager to sign him at 36. 

Lampard revealed that City’s then-manager, Manuel Pellegrini, urged him to join his side as he wanted to bring more experience to the team. In the end, the veteran was excited to resume his journey in the PL. “I took the leap because it was a top club at the time and was going to be, I thought, another great experience for me and a great opportunity to stay in the Premier League, which is the greatest in the world,” he concluded. Ironically, this wasn’t the only time he sprinkled salt on Chelsea fans’ wounds. 

On September 21, 2014, Lampard came on as a substitute to net a late equalizer during a league game against his former side. In fact, it doesn’t end here. Let’s hear about his first day at the Sky Blues office.

Frank Lampard ‘loved it from day one’ at Manchester City 

Frank Lampard revealed that, despite signing for Manchester City as an established veteran, he felt like a new boy going back to school. He wasn’t sure of the environment he’d get alongside the likes of Sergio Aguero, James Milner, Micah Richards, Samir Nasri, and Yaya Toure. Yet, everything felt easy after he felt respected by the players who helped him settle in well.

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Lampard insisted that he humbly kept his head down and wanted to prove that he was serious about playing for City. “I was made to feel very, very welcome, not just by the players but by all the staff at the training ground. I loved it from day one if I’m honest,” he added. While these words are surely not going to help Chelsea’s resentment over what they perceive as a ‘Judas act’, they do underscore the professionalism he exhibited for City.

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