The Blues legend said he would have enjoyed a similar departure to what Steven Gerrard sampled at Anfield, but has no regrets about the way it ended
Frank Lampard has admitted it would have been a 'nice moment' to have a proper send-off at Chelsea, instead of 'leaving out of the back door'.
The midfielder was released by the club he served with such distinction last summer, before joining Manchester City on a short-term contract ahead of a move to New York City FC in the MLS.
He was initially supposed to join City until January, but extended the deal until the end of the season after impressing both on and off the pitch during his time at the Etihad.
Now, as his time in English football draws to a close, he reflects on leaving Chelsea, and admits he would have liked to have enjoyed a similar departure to the one Steven Gerrard had at Anfield.
"I left slightly out of the back door at the end of last season," he told the Daily Mail."I'd have preferred to go out the front door. It would have been a nice moment. But that's not how football works. You can't pick and choose everything to be perfect.
Lampard admits he took some time before deciding to move to City, slightly concerned about if it would change the way in which he was regarded at Stamford Bridge.
However, he says it hasn't changed the affection he has for Chelsea, and that his dad reassured him it was the right thing to do.
"I had a good few days stewing over it when the opportunity came up," he added. "I wondered if it would change my thing at Chelsea. I didn't see that it would and I hope it hasn't. It certainly hasn't changed how I think about them as a club.
"I had 13 years there and tried my bloody hardest. I asked my dad about it, he said 'it's a no-brainer, son'."
Lampard's final game in English football will be City's home clash with Southamptonnext weekend, before he jets off to the Big Apple.
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