A Few Words With England’s Frank Lampard
Up until now, LeBron James has been my sports poster boy. The Cavaliers frontman may now have to share his space in my bedroom wall with England‘s star midfielder, Frank Lampard. Born in Chelsea, Lampard is acknowledged as one of the most improved players in English football in the past three years.
As an England national team regular, he is famous for his goal scoring; as of December 3, 2005, he has scored 129 career goals, 60 of which are for Chelsea and 10 for England. He is, however, more than just a goal-scorer; he is a complete midfielder with excellent box-to-box qualities.
With the launch of PlayStation Portable’s 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany (which is also available for the Xbox 360 and will also come to Nintendo DS and mobile phones), you won’t only get to see Lampard’s face adorn the English game pack, you’ll also get a chance to play alongside him or against him. To coincide with the game’s launch, Electronic Arts sat the English player to answer some questions.
Read EA‘s interview with Frank Lampard after the jump!
Up until now, LeBron James has been my sports poster boy. The Cavaliers frontman may now have to share his space in my bedroom wall with England‘s star midfielder, Frank Lampard. Born in Chelsea, Lampard is acknowledged as one of the most improved players in English football in the past three years.
As an England national team regular, he is famous for his goal scoring; as of December 3, 2005, he has scored 129 career goals, 60 of which are for Chelsea and 10 for England. He is, however, more than just a goal-scorer; he is a complete midfielder with excellent box-to-box qualities.
With the launch of PlayStation Portable’s 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany (which is also available for the Xbox 360 and will also come to Nintendo DS and mobile phones), you won’t only get to see Lampard’s face adorn the English game pack, you’ll also get a chance to play alongside him or against him. To coincide with the game’s launch, Electronic Arts sat the English player to answer some questions.
Electronic Arts (EA): Can England win the World Cup?
Frank Lampard (FL):Silly question. Of course we can. We have a fantastically talented squad and there’s no way we’re going there thinking we can’t win.
EA: Do you prefer playing against teams you’ve never played before (i.e. Trinidad & Tobago) or teams you know well such as Sweden?
FL: I prefer playing teams I know as there’s less that you have to take a chance on, you know the players, the tactics so you just have more time to concentrate on your own game.
EA: Who are the top players (any nation) we should look out for in the World Cup and why?
FL: Ronaldinho as he’s just the all round entertainer. And Messi as he has so much potential to hurt defences.
EA: Do you have any pre match rituals? Who has the weirdest superstitions in the team?
FL: I have rituals but they change all the time so can’t really pick any long term ones.
EA: Who is England’s biggest practical joker?
FL: Rio Ferdinand.
EA: Everyone remembers Gazza’s tears in Italia ’90. How emotional would it be for you and the players to actually win the tournament?
FL: It would be a dream come true for me. I can’t even contemplate how good it would feel.
EA: Many of the lads play videogames in between matches at the team hotel, or on the team bus. Who is the best videogame player amongst the squad? And does it get competitive between the lads?
FL: Most of the lads play the FIFA games when together, and it does get quite competitive. And John Terry definitely thinks he’s the best games player.
EA: Did you feel any pride when England won the 2003 rugby World Cup, or last year’s cricket Ashes?
FL: Obviously I was very excited. Its always great when England take on the world and win. I especially loved the ashes as I’m a huge cricket fan.