Harry Redknapp says he knew Frank Lampard would develop into a world-class player due to the way he trained as a youngster at West Ham United.
Redknapp was the manager of his nephew during the early days of his career, while Lampard’s father, Frank Snr, was assistant at West Ham. The family ties at the Hammers led to some criticism from fans, who believed that the young midfielder was being promoted due to nepotism, not talent.
But that theory was gradually dispelled as Lampard progressed in the early 1990s. After a loan spell with Swansea City, he made his West Ham first-team debut in January 1996 and, after some difficult moments, including a broken leg the following year, he began to show his talent.
Lampard left for Chelsea in 2001 and went on to establish himself as a legend at Stamford Bridge, becoming the club’s record goalscorer with 211 strikes in a trophy-laden 13 years with the Blues. He helped the club win three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Champions League and Europa League, as well as 106 caps for England.
Speaking at a West Ham’s fan forum during the early stages of Lampard’s career, Redknapp was forced to defend the selection of his nephew. “I thought the kid came into the side and did well, you know,” he said. “I’m telling you now – and maybe I didn’t want to say this in front of him – but he will go right to the very top. Right to the very top.”
Shown his prediction by JOE , Redknapp reflected: “And he did! I had to be right once. I always knew that he had such a fantastic attitude. He wanted to be a player so much.
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“I’d look out of my office in the afternoon at four o’clock and he’d be out on the training pitch still. Raining, snowing whatever, he’d be out there doing sprints. He’d get a bag of balls on his own, hitting shots, collecting the balls. He just wanted to be a player, and I knew with that attitude…
“I couldn’t sit here and say that I knew he was going to do what he did – to score 20 goals every year for Chelsea in the Premier League, to play 100 and whatever times for England, it’s amazing, fantastic – but he deserved it all because of the way he was, his attitude, it was fantastic.
“It rubbed off on other young kids at the club, even people like Rio [Ferdinand], he was a superstar at that age – they saw how Frank trained and even they upped their training. Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson, Jermain Defoe, they were all around there and they all saw him training and upped their training as well.”
