Frank Lampard Settled 11-Year Feud With 'Sworn Enemy' After World Cup Meeting

Chelsea legend and current Coventry City head coach Frank Lampard ended his 11-year feud with an Arsenal icon in a Russian gym.

Lampard, 47, is widely considered one of the best English midfielders to have graced the Premier League and is often put alongside Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard in the classic England midfield debate.

During his trophy-laden playing career, the 47-year-old helped Chelsea win three Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Europa League, four FA Cups and two League Cups and also became the club’s record goalscorer with 211 strikes.

Lampard also enjoyed spells at Manchester City and New York City FC before becoming head coach of Derby County in 2018. And it was in that same year when he came face to face with a long-time foe at the Russia World Cup.

As reported by The Telegraph in 2020, Lampard and a former Arsenal man buried an 11-year grudge with the outlet describing the duo as ‘sworn enemies’ up until their meeting.

Frank Lampard is Coventry City head coach (Credit:Getty)

The issue dated back to the 2007 League Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal, during which Gunners midfielder Cesc Fabregas and Lampard became embroiled in an altercation before having to be separated by their teammates.

After the final, which Chelsea won 2-1, the pair did not see eye to eye with Fabregas admitting that their feud was “completely true”.

However, the duo worked together for the BBC at the 2018 World Cup and seemingly patched things up.

Speaking to the Telegraph in 2020, Fabregas explained: “Me and Frank had a moment there. I think maybe I was very young and very enthusiastic. I wanted to beat the world basically, and sometimes I was overwhelmed by the situation and went over the top.”

Cesc Fabregas and Frank Lampard were involved in an altercation in 2007 (Credit:Getty)

The Spaniard, who is now head coach of Serie A side Como, also admitted that he “disliked” Lampard after the League Cup incident but still described the Englishman as a “competitor and a winner”.

Fabregas added: “We met each other at the World Cup in Russia, working for the BBC, and we went to the gym together. We were having lunch together, and that was when he had just signed for Derby, and I was asking him questions about how he saw the situation, and he was explaining his plans a little bit.

“This is what football is about. I respect him so much for what he has done with Chelsea and for football in general. He was a fantastic player and a fantastic opponent to play against.”