Frank Lampard has had an illustrious career for both club and country, 211 goals for Chelsea and 106 caps, 29 goals for England the midfielder is known for his vision and passing abilities on the football pitch.
Lampard presented Harry Kane with the golden cap for reaching 100 appearances for England earlier this week during their Nations League clash against Finland. The Bayern striker marked this milestone with 2 goals to his name in a 2-0 win.
While it was the striker’s special moment, Lampard provided us fans with a moment that has set social media abuzz.
It was the return of Lampard’s hilarious “but no seriously” meme when he was congratulating and handing over the golden cap to Harry Kane.
Lampard’s managerial career seems to have given birth to the popular, yet unexpected meme. During his time managing Chelsea in his first stint, a pattern started to emerge in his post-match interviews.
The meme typically showcases Lampard smiling, often with a bit of a chuckle, only for his face to suddenly switch to a stern, no-nonsense look. It’s a perfect representation of someone transitioning from a casual, fun moment to getting down to business.
Fans quickly picked up on this quirk, and thus, the “but no, seriously” meme was born.
The most recent instance of this meme was reportedly in 2023. Lampard was re-appointed as the Chelsea’s caretaker manager and, according to The Daily Star, had reportedly pulled out his iconic expression less than one hour into his return.
‘I’m very thankful for the the fans that are delighted [with his re-appointment],’ he said, smiling, during his first press conference back at the club. His demeanour then took a slightly different turn, saying: “If there are some that are not delighted, they can know that I will work my utmost to succeed”
With Lampard not taking up any managerial duties in the recent past, the meme seemed to have died down, but the midfielder showed that old habits die hard and gave us the iconic meme once again.
While handing over the golden cap to Kane, Lampard offered his congratulations to Kane with a smile and a light chuckle. Then, like clockwork, his face turned serious as he continued praising Kane’s achievement in a more measured tone.
In a discussion with some of his ex-England mates on the Stick to Football podcast, Lampard opened up about this peculiar habit.
When Jamie Carragher asked him if he was aware of the meme, Lampard admitted, “Yeah, I’ve seen it. My daughter sent it to me loads.”
He went on to explain that now he’s fully conscious to the point where he tries to avoid doing it in any interviews.
But as Lampard humorously added, “I’ve done a few press conferences where I think ‘oh sh*t, I’ve just done that’. I can’t help it!”
It’s this acknowledgement that makes Lampard’s habit even funnier to fans, as it shows that even a football legend has quirks that he struggles to keep in check.
Lampard’s habit has even transcended the football world, making its way into the virtual world of Football Manager 23.
In the game players can select a press conference response that mirrors Lampard’s famous switch – a lighthearted remark followed by a stern correction, complete with the caption “but no, seriously.”
The return of the “but no seriously” meme is sure to be used by many fans, and maybe some clubs with more recent context and captions.
