Lampard playing through the pain barrier

Few footballers deserve success as much as Frank Lampard. Although born with natural ability, the Englishman's extraordinary work ethic has elevated him to a position where he is fêted by his fellow professionals who consistently vote him among the top players in the world.

Painful defeat
Lampard is articulate, well-educated and fiercely professional but he possesses one further quality, fortitude, which is just as well given the events of the last seven months. After winning six trophies in three years, everything came to a juddering halt for the 30-year-old last season. Defeated by Tottenham Hotspur FC in the English League Cup final, Lampard's Chelsea FC were pipped on the final day of the Premier League by Manchester United FC and lost a superb UEFA Champions League final on penalties. On top of that, England came within 15 minutes of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008™ only for Croatia to score and block their path.

Personal grief
Most painfully of all Lampard's mother, Pat, took ill in April and died, leaving her son and family distraught. Many would have buckled in such circumstances, but not Lampard who is fit, firing on all cylinders, scoring goals and quietly dealing with his grief. "It was tough for me to concentrate on football at the back end of last season but, to be honest, it wasn't as tough as it is now," he told uefa.com. "I was going on shock at that stage and not really taking in what had happened. It becomes harder when you go away from football in the summer and reality sets in.

High priority
"Your family is your entire concern and so it's only gradually that I'm coming to terms with having to focus and carry on with football. This has been the most difficult time of my life so football was, and still is, a little bit of a side-show to my personal life. All that I've achieved owes a huge amount to hard work and determination – I place a high priority on them. While I wouldn't say that I had totally lost that belief I certainly had to work to regain that attitude. In the long run you gain strength from experiences like this and while I'm still devastated I am also dealing with it."

Emotional celebration
There was an extraordinary moment when, days after the loss of his mother, Lampard scored in the semi-final against Liverpool to take his club to the UEFA Champions League final for the first time. His instinctive goal celebration was extremely moving, as is his explanation about how the "football family" had stunned him with the breadth and strength of its support. "I had so much support from fans of Liverpool, West Ham [United FC], Manchester United, and that really touched me," Lampard explains. "We can become a bit cynical in football and I also believe that the media paint an unfair picture of football players.

False image
"If you are outside our world all you can understand about us is what you read and hear. But within the game we are basically just a group of people working together who have a bond. You don't want to hang out with every single team-mate all the time, but I've never felt anything like I felt at Chelsea during what was a terrible month for me personally. I'll never forget what the team did for me. It just goes to show that these were ordinary men who decided to get behind me to help, care and support."

Impressive tournament
While disappointed not to be playing in Austria and Switzerland, Lampard hugely enjoyed UEFA EURO 2008™. "I was actually in Ibiza for the majority of the EURO and while I wasn't looking forward to watching it I had the whole 'Spanish thing' going on around me which became quite enjoyable," he smiles. "Spain were outstanding and deserved to win. I liked the fact that their midfield, especially Xavi [Hernández] and [Marcos] Senna were recognised because it's normal for a great goalscorer or a No10 who does special things to get the praise.

Midfield appreciation
"Spain's midfield dominated the tournament. So perhaps that's where England can learn. Part of the reason we were not there is that despite having outstanding individual players we didn't keep the ball, as a team, just as intelligently as Spain showed how to." However, Europe's top club coaches still voted Lampard as the best club midfielder in Europe last season in the UEFA Club Football Awards. "Considering the quality of opposition, to be voted the top of this group feels pretty special," he admits. "It has given me a welcome boost."

To watch a part of this interview in the uefa.com Magazine, please click here.