You could tell on his face when he was bidding farewell to the Premier League that good old Frankie Lamps felt he had more to offer to English football, but it was hard to feel too sorry for him knowing that he was off to New York to collect an obscenely fat cheque and run rings around the opposition.
However, while he is certainly collecting said cheque, he most certainly is not running rings around the opposition because he isn't running at all.
Frank Lampard has not played a single minute of football for New York City F.C. this season, and that has prompted USA Today's ForTheWin.com to label him the worst MLS singing of all time. And they are not the only ones.
Lampard's decision to return to England and play for Man City and then stay until the season's end rather than kick off the MLS campaign, before going on to play only 10 times last season, ensured that things had already gotten off on the wrong foot before a ball was even kicked.
But the icing on the cake for MLS fans has proven to be Lampard's plans for the coming summer, where it has been confirmed that the former Chelsea man will join BBC's star-studded line-up for their Euro 2016 coverage. The New York Times reported the news along with a statement from NYCFC claiming that Lampard will miss no training sessions or games due to his BBC activities.
Midfielder Frank Lampard, who has yet to play for New York City F.C. this season, will be a part of the BBC's coverage of this summer's European championships in France.
The BBC named Lampard when it announced it's team on Monday for the monthlong tournament, but it's release said only that Lampard's role would include "multiplatform contributions." A New York City F.C. spokesman said Monday afternoon that Lampard, a former England captain, would not travel to France or do prolonged studio work as part of his yet-unspecified duties. The team said unequivocally that Lampard would not miss any games or practise sessions because of his BBC commitments.
That's not so bad is it? If he's only Skyping with the lads then nobody can really have an issue with that, right?
Wrong. It seems as though Lampard lending his views to the BBC represents a player that doesn't care about the MLS season, or about his team. And to be fair, you can see why the club's fans would be upset. His team are in the thick of the MLS campaign and he's talking about a tournament in Europe that he has nothing tying him to other than the fact he used to play for one of the countries participating.
Predictably, the news has not gone down well.
Is Lampard really a member of #NYCFC? Whenever he is healthy, he'll probably ruin whatever chemistry the team has at that point.
— Victor Simmons (@CDSimmons123) May 9, 2016
I think it's obvious Lampard doesn't care about NYCFC. Didn't care when he stayed those extra months w/ Man City & doesn't care now
— Gabby (@MsSmartBarbie) May 9, 2016
Seriously, @NYCFC you are a joke for letting Frank Lampard leave if this information is correct. Just release him...
— Victor Stuopys (@vtrainstuopys) May 9, 2016
Lampard at NYCFC is just a joke at this point, right? He's on a paid vacation here, basically.
— Jake (@SLTID_Jake) May 9, 2016
It's an ugly situation.
NYCFC have not yet so much as set a timeframe for his return from injury, which has lead many fans to believe that he will never play for the club again.
Frank Lampard Poll Results. (Not pictured: "Who cares" - had a few write-ins). #NYCFC pic.twitter.com/i65M2KdCyF
— Ben Jata (@Ben_Jata) May 10, 2016
And he's on $6m a year.
This is the type of thing that MLS fans absolutely hate as well, as it does nothing to rubbish the idea that Europe's biggest stars are taking a paid vacation before retirement when they join the league, something they are very keen to stamp out.
Look at how Robbie Keane approached his duties with LA Galaxy, by getting his head down and dominating on the pitch, leaving the Ellen appearances for when he had already won titles and MVP awards in the league, and even when David Beckham was travelling around Europe's fashion capitals on loan, he still always but his MLS side ahead of all else.
Lampard, on the other hand, seems eager to distract himself from his club football as much as possible, as it's not just the Euros, Frankie jetted home to appear on a shite ITV quiz-show last month.
He has now found himself in a situation that will be difficult to turn around. Then again, it is football, so a goal and an assist on his return from injury and everything will probably be sweet.
Fan opinion carries a great deal of weight, especially in the States, and the overwhelming opinion seems to be that everyone would be happier if this whole thing was just put to an end.
Get involved in our #Euro2016 facebook group for useful tips, and a shitload of flags https://t.co/PJWL2cJF8k pic.twitter.com/ZSpZB8RLBg
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) May 6, 2016
