Former Inter Milan star Alessandro Altobelli has accepted that he was surprised with the impact that former Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has had in his time at Internazionale. Altobelli feels that there is no reason why the Belgian should not be considered as one of the best in the world along with Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
Lukaku has led the charge in attack for Inter Milan and now they are the favourites to win the Serie A for the first time since 2010. The Belgian has been prolific in front of the goal as he has already scored 21 goals in the league as Inter sits at the top of the points table with an 11 points lead over their arch-rivals AC Milan.
“At the beginning of the season, I thought he was an average player, but I was wrong,” Altobelli who won the 1982 World Cup with Italy told Italian publication, La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Italy is the university of football. If you want to make a further step, you must play in Serie A.
“Lukaku is not only capable of scoring in any way and against any opponent, but he is also a great leader who helps the team. For me, he is on the same level as Lewandowski, Haaland and Mbappe,” he continued.
When quizzed whether Lukaku is as good as him during his best years, the former Italian striker did not give a clear answer. He said, “Nice question, but we’re talking about different eras. I was among the best strikers of my generation, and now the same is true of Romelu (Lukaku).”
Lukaku joined Inter in 2019 from Manchester United and instantly developed a great relationship in attack with Lautaro Martinez. He scored 23 goals in Serie A in his debut campaign and guided Inter to a second-place finish behind Juventus. The Belgian marksman has never allowed the Nerazzurri faithful to miss their former captain and fan favourite Mauro Icardi. This season Lukaku is set to break his own goalscoring records as he already has scored 21 goals in 29 league appearances and this season he will also be a crucial part of history if Antonio Conte and his men manage to win the Scudetto with Internazionale.
