Frank Lampard appeared destined for the football pitch from the very start.

His father, Frank Sr., had a long and distinguished career at West Ham, whilst his uncle Harry Redknapp and cousin Jamie Redknapp were also heavily involved in the game as he rose through the ranks.

Few predicted that Frank would turn out to be the best of the lot, though. Having shown early signs of potential at Upton Park, Lampard moved to Chelsea in 2001. He never looked back. 

Across the next 13 years, the midfielder made 648 appearances for the club, winning the Premier League on three occasions, and the FA Cup four times.

Arguably his greatest moment arrived in 2012, when he helped the Blues lift their first ever European Cup by beating Bayern Munich on penalties in the Champions League final. 

Lampard finished his time in West London as Chelsea's record goalscorer with 211 goals to his name. His ability to arrive in the penalty box at the right time saw him flourish at international level as well, as he picked up 106 caps for England.

Having announced his retirement from playing in 2017, Lampard swiftly went into management. Two years later, he was handed the hotseat at Chelsea.

Last year, Lampard sat down with Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes on the High Performance Podcast to discuss his remarkable playing career, and his new challenge of becoming a successful manager.

Along the way, he was asked to outline the three principles that he firmly believes in. Here, GIVEMESPORT takes a look at Lampard's three non-negotiables...

1. Hard work

Lampard openly admits "I didn't have the talent of a Neymar". So, how did he reach the pinnacle of the sport? It took a lot of hard work. 

The 42-year-old claims that he understood what he was good at early on, and worked on getting better at those elements of his game throughout his career.

It certainly paid off.

2. Take responsibility for yourself

Looking back on his playing days, Lampard believes "I was my own biggest critic on the pitch."

Now as a manager, he acknowledges that everyone thinks differently, but that he tries to instil into his players the need to be accountable for their actions.

When asked how necessary it is to take responsibility, he said: "It's of utmost importance, and it's a message that you really have to drill home."

3. Be a nice person

Lampard mentions the need to be a "nice person" on a number of occasions during the podcast.

When asked to explain what exactly that means to him, he said: "I want them to come and be straight into the team, and want to work, and be hungry, and come in and want to win, and not cause problems.

"And not be badly selfish, like 'it's all about me'. I want someone who wants to do well because they want to be part of a winning team."

These three principles worked for Lampard as a player. Many are interested to see if they will help him succeed as a manager as well.

For more incredibly insightful interviews with elite sportsmen, women and entrepreneurs, make sure you subscribe to the High Performance Podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-high-performance-podcast/id1500444735