Seeing Frank Lampard and Cesc Fabregas getting on completely nicely on TV collectively can have sparked recollections of when the 2 former midfielders had been fierce rivals on the pitch – to the purpose that they as soon as squared as much as each other throughout a sport with Lampard was offered by Chelsea to keep away from friction with Fabregas.
The BBC Euro 2024 pundits had been each on responsibility for Portugal’s late victory over the Czech Republic on Tuesday night, however didn’t precisely see eye-to-eye once they had been on the pitch collectively.
It began in a bad-tempered 2007 League Cup closing, when Arsenal’s Fabregas was 19 (Lampard is ten years his senior).
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Cesc Fabregas and Frank Lampard had a number of on-pitch clashes of their enjoying days
After a large-scale altercation broke out between the 2 sides on the Millennium Stadium, the 2 broke into their very own mini-scuffle and needed to be rapidly separated. Lampard and Fabregas clashed once more 11 months later after tempers flared once more between different gamers.
Outdated tensions got here to the fore once more within the exceptional Barcelona vs Chelsea Champions League semi-final second-leg encounter that brought about Gary Neville to make a really troubling noise as Fernando Torres gained it on combination for the ten-man Blues late on.
Lampard admitted to BT Sport that his shock transfer to Manchester CIty in 2014 happened as a result of then-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho felt he couldn’t co-exist with new signing Fabregas.
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Lampard stated: “We by no means performed collectively… they let me go to get Cesc in. Me and Cesc by no means actually bought on nicely on the pitch so that they didn’t assume we may share a dressing room.”
The Englisman was magnanimous about it, nonetheless, saying upon his departure from Chelsea: “I would hate to place stress on him. What I’ve performed at Chelsea won’t ever change. I hope they do nicely – Cesc and myself have had our battles prior to now however I want him one of the best as a result of I want Chelsea all one of the best.”
Fortunately, Fabregas revealed to the Telegraph in 2020 that the pair had mended fences since hanging up their boots, having shared a TV studio on quite a few events beginning with the 2018 World Cup.
Fabregas stated: “I feel he’ll inform you an identical factor. We’ve got had many, many battles in the course of the years and we sort of disliked one another on the soccer pitch as a result of he wished to play and win for Chelsea and I wished to win for Arsenal.”
He added: “We met one another on the World Cup in Russia working for the BBC and we went to the health club collectively.
“We had been having lunch collectively and that was when he had simply signed for Derby [as manager], and I used to be asking him questions on how he noticed the state of affairs and he was explaining his plans a bit bit.
“That is what soccer is about. I respect him a lot for what he has performed with Chelsea and for soccer on the whole. He was a improbable participant and a improbable opponent to play towards.
“In fact, I disliked him, as a result of many occasions they beat us and it was tough to play towards him, however all the time with respect and admiration.”
Extra Euro 2024 tales
We’ve got a information on how one can get Euro 2024 tickets in case you’re nonetheless trying to go to the match. Can’t make it on the market? Don’t fear: right here’s how one can watch Euro 2024 reside streams from wherever on the earth
We’ve got the run-down on Euro 2024 stadiums, with information on host cities, capacities, and every part you could know.
We even have an inventory of the Euro 2024 favourites, with greatest odds on nations to win European Championship in Germany, whereas these are one of the best Euros video games ever and these are one of the best pundits ever.
