Lampard was one of England’s major success stories at Euro 2004, earning a permanent spot in midfield and scoring three goals.

But the Chelsea man,who has 24 caps and five goals for his country in total, admits he has only recently felt 100 per cent confident on the biggest stage of all.

He said: "Things have happened quickly for me and you don’t get much time to pause. But I did sit back in the summer and feel really happy at making an impact with England.

"I think I’ve played in the last seven games and that’s something I always wanted to do.

"A lot of times before that I was playing half games or coming on a sub. I’ve heard someone say you need 20 games under your belt to get used to international football and I can really understand that now.

"Since the Euros I’ve really felt a lot more comfortable and confident playing at this level."

Lampard’s confidence can only be good for the Three Lions as they prepare to take on Austria and Poland in the next ten days, and the Chelsea star is becoming a hugely important part of England’s midfield.

It’s no wonder the former West Ham man feels he has come of age after two outstanding seasons at Stamford Bridge and a major breakthrough at international level.

He said: "I do feel I have moved up gear and that my game has improved. There was sadness and anger after we got knocked out of Euro 2004 and that hung around for quite a while. But eventually you move on and then you are happy that at least you made an impact yourself.

"Now I’m looking forward to the qualifiers and hopefully the World Cup finals in two years. And my goal now is to be heavily involved in that campaign and perhaps go one better and win it."

If anyone knows about winning games right now it is Frank Lampard. After all he has a 100 per cent record with his club so far this season and he believes new Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has instilled a winning mentality into his side.

"At the top level of football you need a winning mentality, that’s certainly what the new Chelsea manger is saying and the England manager too," said Lampard.

"I’d love to carry on my 100 per cent record this season.

"There’s a great feeling at Chelsea right now.

"From the first game of the season, and even pre-season, the manager was talking about winning the league and winning games - and always making sure we get three points. He says it at every game and every moment we get.

"I think the more you hear that, the more it gets pumped into everyone around the club and then the big goal for everyone is the same.

"It’s the same with England and that comes from everybody, from the top and from the players themselves. It’s somewhere we’re getting and we know England needs to win something.

"It’s not easy at the top level of football because there are lot of strong teams that can beat you on their day, especially in a tournament. But we have to get there. We have a lot of good players and we believe in ourselves.

"And first of all we believe we can go into these next two qualification games and get maximum points."