Lampard's emotional Man City farewell: captain, goal, ovation

Frank Lampard ended his one season at Manchester City with a fitting farewell on the final day of the 2014/15 Premier League campaign, scoring the opener and receiving a standing ovation from 45,919 fans at the Etihad Stadium.

Manuel Pellegrini handed Lampard the captain's armband for the home clash with Southampton. The midfielder side-footed home from 10 yards after meeting James Milner's cross, with Sergio Agüero adding the second in a 2-0 win that saw City finish second in the table behind Chelsea.

The goal was Lampard's 177th in the Premier League, placing him seventh on the division's all-time scoring list — behind only Alan Shearer (260), Harry Kane (213), Wayne Rooney (208), Mohamed Salah (193), Andrew Cole (187) and Agüero (184).

Lampard was substituted for Jesus Navas after 75 minutes, then addressed the crowd before being lifted into the air by players and staff. He was also presented with a signed shirt, which he says he still keeps as a framed picture at home.

"It was an emotional day when I look back. Being made captain was a great honour," Lampard told mancity.com in 2024. "For the crowd to show me so much respect, to score the goal which felt like fate for me, it was a really nice personal send-off."

"I wasn't a Man City player all my career so I didn't expect anything from it. To be lifted up at the end, it finished off a really special year for me on a personal note," he added.

Lampard made 38 appearances and scored eight goals during his single season at City. Across a Premier League career that also included spells at West Ham and Chelsea, he accumulated 609 top-flight appearances — fourth in the competition's history behind James Milner (658), Gareth Barry (653) and Ryan Giggs (632).

After leaving City, Lampard went on to play for sister club New York City FC in the United States.