Frank Lampard and 10 Great Chelsea Goalscoring Midfielders
Frank Lampard may be 36, but as his form for Manchester City has shown us this season, the Englishman remains a class act.
Not so long ago, he was scoring goals, winning trophies and breaking records at Chelsea.
Lampard is Chelsea's all-time top goalscorer with 211 goals during his 13-year spell with the club.
We recently passed the eighth anniversary of him becoming Chelsea's all-time midfield goalscorer, surpassing Dennis Wise in the scoring charts when he struck against Everton on Dec. 17, 2006.
To honour Lampard's goalscoring exploits, Bleacher Report counts down the top 10 goalscoring midfielders in the club's history.
10. George Graham
1 of 10
Pictured above during his time as Tottenham Hotspur manager, there was a period in his career when George Graham was operating from the opposite dugout at Stamford Bridge.
From 1964 to 1966, Graham called west London home, playing under Tommy Docherty in a glorious period of the Blues' history.
By all accounts, Graham made a considerable impact, especially if his goals are taken into account.
Graham averaged just short of a goal every other game—0.45 to be precise—which is impressive, given midfielders of his ilk weren't always known for their goalscoring feats.
Appearances: 102
Goals: 46
9. Harry Ford
2 of 10Harry Ford made his Chelsea debut over 100 years ago, joining the club from non-league Tunbridge Wells Rangers.
It'll be hard to find any fans who remember watching him play for the club, given the time that has passed. With so little video footage from the time available, it's also difficult to have an educated opinion of his ability as a player.
What we can be certain of, however, is Ford's threat in front of goal. Scoring 47 goals from midfield outlines the impact he had on the Chelsea team from 1913 to 1924.
Ford was also part of the Chelsea side that reached the 1915 FA Cup final, losing 3-0 to Sheffield United.
Images from that game can be seen in the video clip above.
Appearances: 248
Goals: 47
8. Gus Poyet
3 of 10
After two blasts from the past before him in the list of Chelsea's goalscoring midfielders, Gus Poyet is a player from a more modern time.
Chelsea fans were immediately enamoured with the Uruguayan, and his approach to the game made him a cult hero.
He was a lively figure on and off the pitch, embracing life at Stamford Bridge. He was an equally talented player, too, as his scoring record shows.
Poyet was often among the goals at Chelsea, and his finest strike came against his current employer, Sunderland, in 1999, when he volleyed home a phenomenal strike after some excellent build-up play by Gianfranco Zola.
You can view that goal on YouTube.
Appearances: 145
Goals: 49
7. Frank Blunstone
4 of 10A member of Chelsea's title-winning team of 1955, Frank Blunstone enjoyed a wonderful career at Stamford Bridge.
Not only was he part of what was then the club's greatest achievement, he was also around long enough to help Tommy Docherty usher in a new dawn in the 1960s.
Blunstone played for Chelsea from 1953 to 1964, when the likes of Bobby Tambling and Peter Osgood replaced the old guard, going on to make the club one of the most glamorous and successful of the time.
However, Blunstone's goalscoring feats mean he isn't forgotten among those more famous faces.
The British Pathe clip above shows him in action in 1954.
Appearances: 347
Goals: 54
6. Peter Brabrook
5 of 10Another player who played in Chelsea's glorious 1955 title-winning team, Peter Brabrook was a major threat from midfield.
He was never goal shy and was a big part in the success Chelsea enjoyed during his eight years at Stamford Bridge before he left to join West Ham United in 1962.
He inadvertently played a part in Chelsea's recent history, too, coaching a young Joe Cole while he was coming through the ranks at West Ham.
As we know, Cole went on to join Chelsea in 2003 and play a big part in the early years of Roman Abramovich's reign.
Appearances: 271
Goals: 57
5. John Hollins
6 of 10
Part of that Chelsea team of the 1960s, John Hollins (pictured right) worked tirelessly in the engine room. He personified the box-to-box midfielder, fitting the mould perfectly.
He was much more than just a bag of energy, though. Hollins was a class act, a player whose presence in the heart of midfield gave Chelsea so much.
Hollins gave Chelsea plenty of goals, too—64 of them make him the club's fifth-highest goalscoring midfielder.
Appearances: 592
Goals: 64
4. Clive Walker
7 of 10When Chelsea were strapped for cash and struggling in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was players like Clive Walker who gave the fans hope the glory days would return.
Walker wasn't able to quite restore the razzmatazz of the 1960s, yet he did enough for fans to remember him fondly today.
His most memorable moment came in 1983, when he scored a late goal to complete an amazing comeback against Bolton Wanderers that helped stave off relegation to the old Division Three.
You can watch the drama unfold above, with Walker notching one of his 65 goals in a Chelsea shirt.
Appearances: 224
Goals: 65
3. Dick Spence
8 of 10
Chelsea have a diminutive winger in Eden Hazard right now, but before the Belgian—well, way before the Belgian—was Dick Spence.
He joined Chelsea from Barnsley in 1934 and stayed with the club as a player for the best part of 14 years, leaving to serve in the police during World War II and re-joining for three seasons after.
When he retired, Spence remained at Chelsea in a coaching capacity, and it was in this role that he showed himself to be quite the talent scout.
Spence helped bring through Jimmy Greaves (pictured above) and Bobby Tambling, who would go on to become the club's leading goalscorer until Frank Lampard surpassed him in 2013.
Appearances: 246
Goals: 66
2. Dennis Wise
9 of 10
All these years on, there's a song that is still sung about Dennis Wise.
"Oh Dennis Wise, he scored a f-----g great goal, in the San Siro..."
Chelsea fans aren't wrong, the goal was something to behold, coming in October 1999 during the Blues' inaugural Champions League campaign.
The diminutive midfielder was a great servant for the club, making over 400 appearances and captaining them to two FA Cup victories, not to mention the Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 1998.
Appearances: 445
Goals: 76
1. Frank Lampard
10 of 10
What more can be written about Frank Lampard's Chelsea career that hasn't already?
Very little is the answer.
Chelsea fans are disappointed to see him scoring goals for Manchester City this season, but not through dislike or hatred. It's more about envy.
It's a reminder of how special he was for Chelsea, and they never wanted him to leave last summer.
That he did, though, and Lampard continues to show what an exceptional talent he is.
So much so, he's not just Chelsea's highest-scoring midfielder, he's the club's record goalscorer, with 211.
He's scored more than Peter Osgood, more than Bobby Tambling. He's outgunned Kerry Dixon and Jimmy Greaves and arguably one of the Premier League's finest strikers in Didier Drogba.
To top those names takes some doing, but Lampard has succeeded.
He is a truly great player.
Appearances: 648
Goals: 211
*All stats courtesy of Paul Dutton, official statistician of Chelsea FC
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
.png?w=600 "Who Will Panthers Take at No. 9 ? 🤔")
