FRANK LAMPARD is the Player of the Decade - according to official stats.
The Chelsea and England midfield star is the dominant figure in Premier League statistics over the past 10 years.
Facts and figures' wizards Opta have looked back at every Premier League game since January 1, 2000 and Lamps is the man who emerges with most honour.
The 31-year-old ace boasts:
Most games
Most wins
Second-most assists
Fourth-highest goals record
Lampard pips Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher by five games to most appearances with a total of 346 - 210 of which have been wins.
He comes second to Ryan Giggs with 76 assists and bagged 100 goals, finishing fourth behind top scorer Thierry Henry, who netted 169 times for Arsenal.
Signed from West Ham for £11million in June 2001 by Claudio Ranieri, he must go down as one of football's greatest-ever buys.
Ranieri told SunSport last night: "This news fills me with a great satisfaction and pride because Frank Lampard is totally unique.
"He is a complete player and so professional. It doesn't surprise me that he is the best statistically, ahead of other players you might consider to be even bigger stars.
"I'll tell you something. In my view Frank Lampard is a genuine 'Pallone d'oro' - which means he should be a European Footballer of the Year. He really is that good.
"He is up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of quality - he is just a different type of player.
"He does difficult things but he makes them look simple and that is why some people think he is less spectacular.
"But I am glad the statistics have shown what a great player Lampard is. They show just how influential he is.
"Lampard has such a strong mentality and that probably shines through too. Only the other day he had to take a penalty three times but he still scored. That tells you how cool he is under pressure, how focused.
Advertisement
"Frank makes a difference to any game he is in. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes it is less obvious. But he is so often the key to a victory.
"That's why I am really glad that he has been recognised in some way as the player of the decade in England."
Lampard's father, Frank Snr, was thrilled by his son's Player of the Decade accolade.
He said: "To do this over a decade is something special - he has done it by working very, very hard.
"I call him the Bobby Moore of the midfield. He does not try to do the impossible things that can look good on the eye if they come off.
"He's not crash, bang, wallop, either. Instead, he sticks to the things he knows can work and makes sure it's the team that he puts first.
"To score so many goals is a magnificent achievement for a midfielder. He plays in a team where everyone wants to score but he is the one who is consistently on the scoresheet."
Chelsea coach Ray Wilkins added: "Frank's contribution has been immense over the last decade, both for Chelsea and England.
"The consistency he has shown has been remarkable and he is still producing the same top-quality performances that he was a decade ago."
In contrast, the biggest loser of the decade was Hull's Kevin Kilbane, who lost 146 times.
Robbie Savage, now at Derby, was the naughty boy of the noughties finishing top of the bad boys league for most bookings and red cards - elbowing Kevin Davies of Bolton into second place.
URL was here
Despite the amazing statistics that Lamps has, I for one do not rate him that highly. He's a great player. But to me players like Gerrard and Scholes are a level above. I reckon Lampard being in a team like Liverpool will not do nearly as well as Gerrard has for us.
In my opinion, Lampard is slightly overrated. He should not start for England- not because he's not good enough, but because Gerrard is better and I don't think they work well together.
The Chelsea and England midfield star is the dominant figure in Premier League statistics over the past 10 years.
Facts and figures' wizards Opta have looked back at every Premier League game since January 1, 2000 and Lamps is the man who emerges with most honour.
The 31-year-old ace boasts:
Most games
Most wins
Second-most assists
Fourth-highest goals record
Lampard pips Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher by five games to most appearances with a total of 346 - 210 of which have been wins.
He comes second to Ryan Giggs with 76 assists and bagged 100 goals, finishing fourth behind top scorer Thierry Henry, who netted 169 times for Arsenal.
Signed from West Ham for £11million in June 2001 by Claudio Ranieri, he must go down as one of football's greatest-ever buys.
Ranieri told SunSport last night: "This news fills me with a great satisfaction and pride because Frank Lampard is totally unique.
"He is a complete player and so professional. It doesn't surprise me that he is the best statistically, ahead of other players you might consider to be even bigger stars.
"I'll tell you something. In my view Frank Lampard is a genuine 'Pallone d'oro' - which means he should be a European Footballer of the Year. He really is that good.
"He is up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of quality - he is just a different type of player.
"He does difficult things but he makes them look simple and that is why some people think he is less spectacular.
"But I am glad the statistics have shown what a great player Lampard is. They show just how influential he is.
"Lampard has such a strong mentality and that probably shines through too. Only the other day he had to take a penalty three times but he still scored. That tells you how cool he is under pressure, how focused.
Advertisement
"Frank makes a difference to any game he is in. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes it is less obvious. But he is so often the key to a victory.
"That's why I am really glad that he has been recognised in some way as the player of the decade in England."
Lampard's father, Frank Snr, was thrilled by his son's Player of the Decade accolade.
He said: "To do this over a decade is something special - he has done it by working very, very hard.
"I call him the Bobby Moore of the midfield. He does not try to do the impossible things that can look good on the eye if they come off.
"He's not crash, bang, wallop, either. Instead, he sticks to the things he knows can work and makes sure it's the team that he puts first.
"To score so many goals is a magnificent achievement for a midfielder. He plays in a team where everyone wants to score but he is the one who is consistently on the scoresheet."
Chelsea coach Ray Wilkins added: "Frank's contribution has been immense over the last decade, both for Chelsea and England.
"The consistency he has shown has been remarkable and he is still producing the same top-quality performances that he was a decade ago."
In contrast, the biggest loser of the decade was Hull's Kevin Kilbane, who lost 146 times.
Robbie Savage, now at Derby, was the naughty boy of the noughties finishing top of the bad boys league for most bookings and red cards - elbowing Kevin Davies of Bolton into second place.
URL was here
Despite the amazing statistics that Lamps has, I for one do not rate him that highly. He's a great player. But to me players like Gerrard and Scholes are a level above. I reckon Lampard being in a team like Liverpool will not do nearly as well as Gerrard has for us.
In my opinion, Lampard is slightly overrated. He should not start for England- not because he's not good enough, but because Gerrard is better and I don't think they work well together.
