Romelu Lukaku has dismissed comparisons between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting that Manchester United's new signing is one of the best players of all time.
Lukaku went head to head with the superstar in Italy in recent years, opting for a return to Chelsea after helping Inter win the Scudetto last campaign.
Ronaldo quickly followed Lukaku out of the Serie A exit door, leaving Juventus to rejoin United. Their similar career paths combined with their incredible goal returns, have seen plenty of comparisons drawn between the pair.
Lukaku has played down those claims, though, believing it's 'useless' to analyse their statistics side by side, while hailing Ronaldo as one of the top three players to have ever played the game.
"Don't ever compare me to Cristiano Ronaldo, never," Lukaku said ahead of Belgium's clash with Czech Republic, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is, for me, in the top three best players in the history of football. 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."
Lukaku has hit the ground running on his return to the Premier League, needing only a matter of minutes to open his Chelsea account on his debut against Arsenal.
His arrival has thrust the Blues into the Premier League title race, but Man Utd fans will fancy their chances with Ronaldo back in their side. Whatever happens, it'll be incredibly exciting to see the duo face off over the course of the season.
Source : 90min