Romelu Lukaku sees no reason why he cannot “exceed limits” like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, with the Inter star already classing himself as “one of the top five strikers in the world”.
Few would argue against that standing for the Belgium international, given his remarkable exploits at San Siro.
Having grown frustrated at the lack of faith shown in him by Manchester United, Lukaku jumped at the chance to head for Italy in the summer of 2019.
He plundered 34 goals across his debut campaign with Inter, with that return seeing him match the efforts of five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Juventus talisman Ronaldo.
Lukaku believes he belongs in that illustrious company and feels there is even more to come from him as he takes his game to ever-greater heights.
The 27-year-old told France Football: “I’m one of the top five strikers in the world. I can’t do anything wrong from a tactical point of view or even the movements.
“If Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi or Lewandowski have exceeded their limits, why can’t I do it too?”
Lukaku added on comparisons to Portuguese superstar Ronaldo: “He scored more than 100 goals for the national team, it’s a bit early to make comparisons.
“In Milan everyone was talking to me about Ronaldo’s 34 goals in his first season. I’m glad I matched it, yes. Now, I work to win trophies.”
Getty ImagesLukaku is looking to chase down those honours under the guidance of Antonio Conte, a coach that has always believed in him.
He added on the Inter boss: “The coach told me that if I became strong with my back to the goal, no one could stop me.
“He told me about it at the 2014 World Cup, before he left Juventus and repeated it to me when he was at Chelsea.
“[Eden] Hazard acted as the middle man; he gave my number to the sporting director at the Blues. The latter called me and told me the new Chelsea coach wanted me.
“But I still didn’t know who their new coach was. When I arrived at the meeting, I saw Conte and I should have expected it, it could’ve only been him.”
Conte has paired Lukaku with Lautaro Martinez in attack at Inter, with the Belgian enjoying playing alongside the highly-rated Argentine.
He said of their partnership: “Before coming to Inter, I had seen a lot of their matches. Lautaro was playing alone up front and I immediately thought we could cause harm.
“When I arrived, we spoke a bit in Spanish and that was the turning point. Sometimes it’s my day, sometimes it’s his day. We have found the right balance and get along well together.”