It may not have been the most memorable England performance but it was a night that the Chelsea midfielder will never forget.

He won an incredible 40 per cent of the votes when fans were asked to vote online for England’s top performer of 2004 and now Lampard has his first trophy of the season.

He said: "I am really proud of the award. To get it from England fans for a start and to get it ahead of the likes of Rooney, Gerrard and Beckham - all players who have done really well all year.

"Getting an award like that is a real accolade from fans who travel the world to watch you play. It s a great feeling to be valued like that."

Lampard played only the first half against Holland but was not too disappointed. He added: "I was always going to play just one half because of the early kickoff with Chelsea this weekend.

"I thought the system with three in midfield worked ok. I am used to it every week at Chelsea and the only disappointment was that we did not go on to win the game."