Frank Lampard Announces Retirement from Football: Latest Details and Reaction

Former Chelsea and England star Frank Lampard has announced his retirement from football after a 21-year professional career.

The ex-Three Lions midfielder took to Instagram on Thursday to confirm he was hanging up his boots months after leaving Major League Soccer outfit New York City FC:

Lampard made 626 appearances for Chelsea and earned 106 caps for England, per Transfermarkt, in a career spanning more than two decades, having made his professional debut for West Ham United in 1996.

The veteran playmaker won three Premier League titles with Chelsea, whom he joined from the Hammers in 2001, as well as clinching one UEFA Champions League crown, four FA Cups and a UEFA Europa League title.

BBC Sport reporter Phil McNulty paid tribute to the Romford native, and not just for his magnificence on the field:

The 38-year-old becomes the second England centurion to announce his departure from the sport in the last three months after Steven Gerrard also ended his career with a final swan song in MLS with LA Galaxy.

Gerrard has since returned to his old Anfield stamping ground and taken up a coaching position with Liverpool, and many might ask whether Lampard could follow a similar path into management at Stamford Bridge:

Lampard gained a reputation during his career as one of the most prolific midfield scorers at the elite level, bagging 208 goals in his 626 outings for the Blues—an average of just under one goal every three games.

Despite sharing a fierce rivalry with one another as players consistently competing for similar honours, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher joined the legions praising his former England team-mate on Thursday:

Lampard mentioned in his Instagram post that he received "offers to continue playing at home and abroad," but he bows out on a high after helping New York City FC reach the MLS play-offs in their inaugural season.

Kristof Terreur of Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws shared a nostalgic video of former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp—also Lampard's uncle—speaking highly of a 17-year-old Lampard:

Since then, the midfield icon has gone on to become the highest scorer in Chelsea history, with 211 goals to his name. He was also awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to football in June 2015.

Lampard's return to football may not take long, however. He thanked the Football Association for its help in earning his coaching badges, so a managerial career may not be far off for one of the Premier League's most celebrated figures.