It truly is recognition, from amongst those in World Football, that our own midfield engine has reached the astronomical heights that only very few can aspire to. However, before launching into an article congratulating Frank on scooping up the award, we should perhaps keep our feet on the ground and recognise that amongst the other candidates on the short list are the Barcelona pair of Ronaldhino and Eto?o.
With Ronaldhino having recently won the European Footballer of the Year award, it would be a shock if Frank were to pip him to this particular award. However, it would be perhaps churlish to expect the Barcelona pair to relegate Frank to third place. Therefore, it would appear that Frank is likely to receive the runners-up award.
This in itself is a fine achievement and reflects wonderfully on the dedication, application and skill Frank has shown since he joined Chelsea. Playing in 160 consecutive Premiership games may recently have become the latest achievement to focus on but the calendar year itself has been a year in which Frank has become a national icon replacing David Beckham in the hearts of many a school child.
In Chelsea?s Premiership success, Frank scored the goals that sent us into a sense of delirium whilst also picking up the coveted ?Football Writers Player of the Year? from those that know so much out our wonderful game.
Couple that with his numerous Barclaycard awards, his selection for the FIFA World XI and the fact that he now is the number one choice for an England midfield position show that 2005 will be a year that Frank will not forget. Off course, he also has reason to remember the year in his private life with the birth of his first child, an event he quite rightly speaks highly of.
With 2005 drawing to a close, Frank is keen to score the remaining couple of goals that will take him to 30 for the year, truly a remarkable achievement for a midfield player.
However, away from all the hype that surrounds his football achievements, you cannot get away from the fact that Frank is in fact a diamond geezer. At the Football Writers Awards he held the audience spellbound with a speech that encompassed everything to do with his career as well as delving into private matters.
His work with a children?s cancer project is well known and is to be both admired and respected. Indeed, it shows the stature of the man that when a young girl he had been working closely with passed away, Frank turned up at the funeral but did his utmost not to let his appearance detract from the dignity of the sad occasion.
We here at blueisthecolour.net can only add our congratulations to what has been a fantastic year for Frank, indeed we?d like to hope that, in some way, next year will be better.
However, more importantly, we?re just so proud that Frank wears the blue of our fantastic club and that Claudio Ranieri took the plunge and invested in what is probably the best example of humanity since the legend that is Gianfranco Zola departed our shores.
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