Frank Lampard's hat-trick for New York City turned him from zero to hero in the Big Apple

Frank Lampard has scored eight goals for New York City this season
Lampard was called 'the worst signing in MLS history' in one paper
Midfielder has worked hard to get back to fitness and win over the fans
Frank Lampard was back at Chelsea last season. It was kept quiet at the time, as the west London club’s record goalscorer made an under-the-radar return to their Cobham headquarters.

The visits occurred in April, when Lampard’s position as New York City’s prestigious first signing was once again being called into question. He was out injured, unable to contribute and causing frustration for fans.

But at 38, he remains religious to his fitness regime. The midfielder confesses he is one of the worst people to be around while injured - miserable, frustrated and desperate to get back.

That was his reasoning behind coming back to Chelsea’s Surrey base: to get fitter, quicker, in a familiar environment.



Frank Lampard celebrates scoring the first ever hat-trick for New York City last month



Lampard's performances over recent weeks have helped him win the fans over in New York

Doubters might have looked at the homecoming like a return to his comforts, away from the team-mates he was being perceived as letting down back in the Big Apple. It wasn’t.

The end result of Lampard’s hard work is eight goals in his last eight games and, on Saturday, the first hat-trick of New York City’s short history in a big win over Colorado Rapids.
He spent time walking around the pitch afterwards, accepting the applause of fans before departing down the tunnel. It is some turnaround from being booed on home soil back in May.

Lampard got off to a bad start, again, this season. He missed the first three months of the Major League Soccer campaign — and NYCFC’s opening 12 matches — with a calf problem and frustrations were brewing.




Lampard's MLS career got off to a bad start due to injury and this season has been disrupted



Injury forced Lampard to watch some of his early games in the States from the stands

The club’s fans and their first marquee player already had something of a chequered history with Lampard’s delayed arrival following the six-month ‘loan’ to Manchester City that turned out to be a year-long permanent placement.

He had agreed to work with the BBC during Euro 2016 this summer, in pre-filmed video segments, but again it all added to the idea Lampard was not buying into the New York City masterplan.

The factors, past and present, climaxed with Lampard’s unpopularity in some parts launched into a perfect storm when he came on as a substitute in the Hudson River derby against New York Red Bulls on May 21.

NYCFC lost 7-0. Lampard was booed as he came on and with each touch of the ball on a miserable day for the hosts at their awkward baseball-dominated Yankee Stadium home.



Rivals New York Red Bulls revealed a banner at a derby game of Lampard and fellow marquee signing Andrea Pirlo as old men joining a retirement home

Little recognition was given for the work put in behind the scenes by Lampard to get back on the oddly-shaped field in the Bronx, while one newspaper column labelled him ‘the worst signing in MLS history’ — few argued against that assessment too vocally.

At 5-0 down, it was not the ideal time for a less-than-popular player to step back into the fold.

What has followed, though, is a tribute to Lampard’s resilience.

Two more substitute appearances came before Patrick Vieira trusted the designated player to return to the side against Philadelphia Union. Lampard took eight minutes to open the scoring and he has barely stopped since.

He opened the scoring away at Seattle Sounders a week later and New England Revolution, Sporting Kansas City and Montreal Impact all fell victim to Lampard strikes, too.

‘The most difficult thing about being injured is this lonely time when the lads are outside and you’re inside doing this,’ Lampard said during a clip NYCFC put out about his injury recovery work.