“I belong with that group; I am at that level” - When Romelu Lukaku made confident claim about comparisons with Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema
Napoli striker Romelu Lukaku once said that he was of the same level as Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski and a few others. The 31-year-old arrived at the Serie A side this summer after two seasons on loan in Italy.
Lukaku, 31, returned to English shores in the summer of 2021 for a second spell at Chelsea. However, he endured an underwhelming season and spent the next two seasons on loan at hs former club Inter Milan and AS Roma, respectively, before moving permanently to Napoli this summer.
Ahead of Belgium's Euro 2020 last-16 bout with Portugal in June 2021, Lukaku explained why he should be talked about in the same breath as Lewandowski, Benzema, Harry Kane and Luis Suarez (via The Daily Mail):
"When they talk about (Robert) Lewandowski, (Karim) Benzema, (Luis) Suarez, (Harry) Kane, they would say it's world class level, and, with me it's always about being in good form.
"In the last two years, I think I have shown it's not just good form. I belong with that group, I am at that level."
Lukaku was coming off a 30-goal season for Inter as they won the Scudetto. Fast forward three years, the Belgian has made a decent start to life at Napoli, registering four goals and five assists in 11 outings across competitions. The Partenopei are the Serie A leaders after 12 games, leading second-placed Atalanta (25) by a point.
Meanwhile, Lewandowski's Barca are the La Liga leaders after 13 games, six points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, but have played a game more. Benzema's Al-Ittihad are second in the Saudi Pro League after 10 games, just a point behind runaway leaders and defending champions Al-Hilal.
How have Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema fared this season?
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is in sizzling form this season, registering 19 goals and two assists in 17 outings across competitions. Fourteen of these goals and both assists have come in 13 games in La Liga, where Hansi Flick's side lead the standings.
Lewandowski - who arrived at the Camp Nou in the summer of 2022 from Bayern Munich - has also scored five times in the UEFA Champions League, where Barca are sixth, winning three of four games.
Meanwhile, Benzema has had a quieter start to his second season at Al-Ittihad, registering eight goals and an assist in nine games across competitions. All those goal contributions have come in eight games in the Saudi Pro League.