Belgium and Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku insisted he has a long way to go before he can be compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo scored his 110th and 111th international goals this week, moving two clear of Iran legend Ali Daei in the all-time men’s scoring charts.
At age 28, Lukaku has netted 66 times for Belgium, giving him an outside chance of eventually catching Ronaldo. But the Belgium star says any talk comparing him to the Portugal star is premature.
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What was said?
“Don’t ever compare me to Cristiano Ronaldo, never,” Lukaku said at a press conference ahead of Belgium’s World Cup qualifier against Czech Republic on Sunday – a game in which he is set to earn his 100th cap.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is, for me, in the top three best players in the history of football,” he continued. “I’m not going to rank him from first to third but he’s in there.
“What he has achieved in football today for players of my generation is something exceptional.I was lucky enough to play against him in Italy and now that he’s back in the Premier League, it’s all good for English football. As for the rest, comparing statistics and all that, it’s useless.”
Premier League returns
Ronaldo and Lukaku can be lumped in at least one category together: former Premier League stars who have left Italy and returned to England this summer.
After helping Inter to the Serie A title last year, Lukaku has come back to Chelsea in a £98 million ($136m) move. The forward has already started two Premier League matches for the Blues, scoring in his debut against Arsenal.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, left Juventus after three seasons to complete a sensational €23m (£20m//$27m) return to Manchester United. [Goal]
