Although Frank Lampard laments not being able to say farewell to Chelsea after years of service due to Mourinho's rejection, he had the finest laugh over the Portuguese manager.
After some tough treatment from Chelsea, Frank Lampard had the final laugh.
After some tough treatment from Chelsea, Frank Lampard had the final laugh.
Frank Lampard quickly exacted his vengeance on Jose Mourinho after being denied any form of farewell at Chelsea despite serving the club for 13 years.
Lampard, who has gone down as a Chelsea icon at Stamford Bridge after making over 425 Premier League games for the Blues, had his time at West London come to an end after Mourinho chose to let him leave.
That same year, fellow legends John Terry and Didier Drogba were given befitting send-offs, but the then 35-year-old skipped a major parade in Chelsea's final game of 2014, believing he would be kept on - only to be told the club would not be renewing his contract. And it is exactly what the former England international regrets about his career.
"There aren't many things I regret about my Chelsea career, but not being able to properly say farewell to all of the Chelsea fans is surely one," he stated at the time. "It's been thirteen years.
But, as is usually best, vengeance was served cold. Lampard joined Manchester City the next year, and during his one season there, he came off the substitute to equalize against his previous club - all while Mourinho was watching. He went on to become City's fourth highest goal scorer this season, proving that the Portuguese should have kept him.
Later, Mourinho called him one of the "greatest players" he'd ever coached. "In my first stint at Chelsea, I had Frank Lampard, maybe the best player in the Premier League for a decade," Mourinho remarked in 2016.
The two have had altercations on the field since then. It all started with Lampard's first game as Chelsea manager, a 4-0 loss to Manchester United.
Mourinho was critical of Mason Mount's performance at the time, which irritated Lampard. "He didn't appreciate Mason Mount's performance? That's what he said, right? Did he? Wow," he remarked at the time.
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