Lampard named England's best

Source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=322405&cc=4716

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has emerged as the overwhelming choice for England fans' player of 2004, beating Wayne Rooney into second place. The 26-year-old claimed 40 per cent of the vote, with Rooney behind on 16 per cent, while David Beckham and Michael Owen did not even feature in the top five. Instead, Steven Gerrard was third, with Ashley Cole fourth and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who earned just three caps in the entire year, in fifth place. Lampard told the Football Association's website, which organised the online poll: 'This award means a lot to me. 'I was surprised to hear I was in the lead because I was up against the likes of Wayne Rooney, but to win is great. It's an honour to have fans up and down the country think that highly of me.' Lampard became an England regular during 2004, earning 13 caps and scoring six goals, while forging an impressive central midfield partnership with Gerrard. Sven-Goran Eriksson declared: 'Congratulations to Frank, he's been playing brilliantly for England for a very long time. 'He's played nearly all the games for Chelsea for more than two years, and he is getting better and better. 'He defends well, he's a good tackler. He's good on the ball, passes well and scores goals. You can't ask for much more from a midfielder. He deserves it.' Final standings: 1 - Frank Lampard - 40 per cent 2 - Wayne Rooney - 16 per cent 3 - Steven Gerrard - 9.8 per cent 4 - Ashley Cole - 9.4 per cent 5 - Shaun Wright-Phillips - 7 per cent