Frank Lampard is one of the best midfielders in world football today - thanks to a mindset that few people outside the game can rival, let alone his opposition on the pitch.

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His creative instincts with the ball at his feet have gifted the 31-year-old the ability to constantly change a game, lead the team, score a crucial goal and make his physical presence felt against the very best sides.

These particular traits were evident when Lampard was just 14, and it was around this period that pundits knew he would become a key presence in both the Premier League and on the international stage in years to come.

Whilst his capacity as a footballer has few rivals, Lampard's intelligence level off the field has also proved very difficult to match.

His IQ level reads 160 - which rivals the minds of key historical figures Beethoven and Einstein.

Indeed, only 0.1 percent of the world's population possesses an IQ that high. Microsoft owner Bill Gates is one of them.

When studying at Brentwood College in Essex, Lampard managed to score an A+ in the difficult subject of Latin - a mark very few students were able to achieve.

Despite his gifted mental capacity, however, 'Frankie' (his nickname since his days at West Ham United) always dreamt of playing football at the elite level.

From an adolescent with lofty aspirations, Lampard has since converted himself into one of the most significant figures in Chelsea's history.

He has so far played more than 440 matches for the Blues, scoring more tnan 130 goals which makes him Chelsea's highest scoring midfielder of all time.

Lampard is also second only to Southampton legend Matthew Le Tissier in most goals scored in the English Premier League by a midfielder.

Since his Chelsea days began in 2001, Lampard has won eight domestic trophies with the club, including two Premier League championships and the FA Cup.

Individually, he has been recognised as one of the world's best players, being runner-up to Ronaldinho for FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005, and winning Chelsea Footballer of the Year in 2004, 2005 and 2009.

With the considerable acclaim he has mustered, it is no surprise to learn that Lampard econverted himself as the highest-paid Premier League player in August 2008, alongside team-mate and captain John Terry.

He currently earns £140,000 a week and is fourth in worldwide earnings as a footballer, behind La Liga stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kaka and Lionel Messi.

While some players struggle to replicate their club form at international level, Lampard has had no such troubles, being named England's best player in 2004 and 2005, despite the painful quarter-final exits in Euro 2004 and the World Cup in Germany two years later.

Although he has experienced many successes in his career both on and off the field, there have been some significant lowlights.

Lampard was apart of the England squad that failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 championships, the first major tournament the nation had missed since the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

His personal life has also been surrounded with controversy involving sex and drink.

In 2000, Lampard appeared in a video alongside Premier League stars Rio Ferdinand and Kieron Dyer which contained sexual content.

A portion of footage from that incident was shown on Channel 4 four years later, as part of a documentary titled Sex, Footballers and Videotapes.

Lampard was also sanctioned in September 2001, following his involvement in a fight with American tourists alongside his Chelsea team-mates in a London hotel while drunk.

But in spite of the off-field drama that has plagued his private life, Lampard is viewed as a positive role model for both club and country.

He now has his sights set firmly on steering Chelsea to their third Premier League crown and perhaps a maiden Champions League title.

Of more importance will be his critical involvement in England's bid to win their second World Cup next year in South Africa.

And no doubt if Lampard does steer Chelsea and England to glory next year, than his title as a true genius would have been earned not just in London, but worldwide.