Three legends who have left their homes: Xavi, Gerrard and Lampard

The end of 2014-15 season marked new champions in Barcelona and Chelsea. However it also marked the last time we will see the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard ever play in the respective leagues in which they made their names – the Spanish La Liga and the English Premier League.

What makes these 3 players worth paying a tribute? To start with, just their sheer experience and consistency! Xavi has made 750 appearances for Barcelona, a club record! He also features among the top 3 in the most La Liga appearances list having taken to the pitch 494 times in the top flight. Both Steven Gerrard (504) and Frank Lampard(603) are part of an elite list of players who made more than 500 appearances in the EPL.

Another thing to note is that despite Gerrard, Lampard and Xavi all being central midfielders they are 3 completely different footballers.

Gerrard is a dynamic box to box midfielder with an eye for a lofted pass, strong in the tackle and tremendous long range shooting ability.

Lampard is amongst a rare breed of offensive midfielders who supplement the attack but also have an uncanny sense of timing, positional awareness and finishing ability in the box.

Xavi though is the typical midfield maestro ,keeping the team ticking on the ball with his pinpoint passing.

Xavi Hernandez

The Barcelona hero has had a glittering career so far, winning every trophy there is to win with Barcelona a record haul of 24 (8 La Liga,3 Champions League trophies). With his country Spain he won their 3 biggest trophies - World Cup 2010, Euro 2008 and 2012.

Xavi forged a wonderful midfield partnership with Andres Iniesta not only for club but also for country. Their understanding was telepathic and together they were the architects for most of Barca’s fluid passing moves. They laid the pedestal for the goal scoring exploits of prodigious forwards Messi, Henry, Eto’o, Villa, Neymar and recently Suarez.

Xavi and Iniesta were the embodiment of Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka style of play which yielded Barcelona unprecedented success. He was the “metronome”, the heartbeat of Barca’s fluid passing game, controlling the game from a deep midfield position alongside the more defensive Busquets. Xavi made over 180 assists in his long career and saved his best for the Clasico, with Madrid being at the receiving end of his pinpoint through balls.

Perhaps his more important ones came in the Champions League finals -for that memorable Messi header in 08, and the Pedro finish in 2010, both against Manchester United.

Accurate and precise in the pass, he boasts of an enviable 91.2 career pass completion rate. Xavi’s goals for the club started with one on his debut in August 1998. Possessing great long range technique and good placement his direct free kicks and curling corners gave many a goalkeepers a cause of concern.

Xavi arguably enjoyed his best seasons under Guardiola from 2008 to 2012. Xavi is seen by many as Pep Guardiola’s midfield successor with both having great understanding of the game, intelligence on and off the ball and superb passing ability.

Having played with him earlier, and coached Xavi during his Barca management stint, here is what Guardiola himself had to say on him – “Xavi is a player who has the Barcelona DNA: someone who has the taste for good football, someone who is humble and someone who has loyalty to this club; from the first moment I saw him play, I knew he would become the brain behind Barcelona for many years to come.”

Steven Gerrard

Perhaps no other player signifies Liverpool in the last 2 decades as much as Steven Gerrard. He was the ”the engine” in Liverpool’s style, covering every blade of grass on and off the ball. His energetic box-to-box running not only provided key passes to a range of Liverpool attackers from Torres to Suarez ,but also last ditch tackles and amazing long range efforts.

Steven Gerrard played with the same passion and hunger for Liverpool like the greats before him in the ilk of Paisley, Dalglish, Souness and others. Being usually deployed as a central midfielder, it would surprise many that his 1998 Liverpool debut came at the right back position, at just 18 years of age.

Goals wise, his most productive season for Liverpool was 2008-09 under Rafa Benitez, wherein he got 9 assists and 16 goals. Playing in a relatively more advanced midfield role, Gerrard was given the freedom to link up with the then in form and pacy Fernando Torres.

The solid midfield base of Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso was pivotal in Gerrard playing the CAM role. But overall 2013-14 can be counted as one of his best seasons, when he notched 13 goals and 13 assists almost leading LFC to the elusive EPL title. Now playing a deeper pivot role alongside an anchor-man, he was the base of many Liverpool attacks starring the famous Suarez, Sterling, and Sturridge trio.

Gerrard remains among the best penalty takers and free kick specialists in EPL. He is only behind Ryan Giggs as EPL’s leading assist makers with 99. Many of Gerrard’s goals were paramount for Liverpool and filled with oodles of quality.

Gerrard’s career almost ended before it began, having suffered a serious injury when he was 10. He has won a number of accolades, though Gerrard’s biggest regret will undoubtedly be not winning a single Premier League title with Liverpool. Under Brendan Rodgers, he and his team came so close in 2013-14 but then his “slip up” against Chelsea followed and Manchester City were the benefactors as they won the EPL.

Gerrard received a rousing tribute as well as guard of honour from the Anfield faithful when he played his last Liverpool home game after a 27-year Liverpool career.

Arsene Wenger was always an admirer of Gerrard. Here are Le Prof’s words on him – “I would like to pay tribute to a fantastic career. He has remained loyal to his club for his whole career and we don’t see that a lot, especially that kind of quality of player. When you look at his qualities it’s hard to see what he didn’t have in the locker. He’s quick, a good passer, good technique, could score goals, a dream midfielder. He had every single quality needed for midfield.”

Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard Jr. continues to be a beloved Chelsea icon, in spite of his latest stint with the Citizens. Frank Lampard’s best days came in the blue of Chelsea, where he became known for his prolific goal scoring exploits, positional awareness and eye for a key pass.

Lampard holds some important EPL records. He recently became the 4th top scorer in EPL history (176 goals) eclipsing another legend of the game Arsenal forward Thierry Henry, an amazing feat for a midfielder. He is Chelsea’s all-time top scorer too. He has that knack of being at the right place at the right time and has consistently applied it for many seasons. Also possessing precision from long range shots as well as penalties, Lampard was so often the ideal supplement to Chelsea’s attacking play.

That Chelsea no longer needed the services of Lampard was rubber stamped with the signing of ex Gunner Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona last season. City offered a yearlong deal and Pellegrini used him intelligently as an impact player in the final third.

Apart from his undoubted finishing qualities, his ability to pick a pass was highlighted with game-changing assists like the one vs Barcelona (2011-12, a game which Chelsea drew and later went on to win the Champions League).

Frank’s lowest point in his professional career was possibly losing a Champions League final to one of your fierce domestic rivals. When Chelsea lost to Manchester United on penalties in the Moscow 2008 final. Lampard still got some credit as being one of the scorers in the match, the other being Ronaldo.

Jose Mourinho has seen the best of Lampard for and against him, so he is the ideal person to talk about him. He said on occasion of Lampard’s last EPL game, playing at City last season – “One of my best players ever, one of my best professionals ever. Chelsea and also Premier League legend. So, the last match for Frank, and I have to honour him and wish him the best.”

These three top class players have been around for a while and are now looking for their last payday abroad. Hope these moments will let us relive the class of these players.

These moments made them the big names they are now and these will be the ones we remember them by for years to come. All three for most of their careers stayed loyal to the clubs which made their name, and still possess great admiration and respect for the same.

Their heir apparent may have arrived on the scene but no one can adequately replace them .These are the midfielders who changed as well as controlled games with their ball distribution, shooting and finishing abilities. They are the leaders generations dared to emulate and idolized, they are legends in their own right. They will always be amongst footballs greatest.