Former Inter midfielder Enzo Scifo believes that Nerazzurri striker Romelu Lukaku has proven himself equal to Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund.
Belgium international Lukaku has scored 21 Serie A goals this season, propelling Inter to a 10-point gap at the top of the table and putting them on the verge of the Scudetto.
In an interview published in today’s newspaper edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Scifo felt that his compatriot had proven his doubters wrong, whilst referring to an interview in 2019 in which he lauded Lukaku upon his arrival from Manchester United.
“To think that at the time (2019) he was heavily criticised here. He was accused of lacking technique and being wasteful in front of goal, but I always knew he was a star due to his power and how he uses his left foot,” Scifo claimed.
“He had to come to Italy to improve himself. and luckily for him it happened, in a strong team and with a demanding coach. Find me another player as decisive as him. I knew he would score 30 goals a season.
“Conte was the right man at the right time for his maturity. He saw him, wanted him and immediately said, ‘he is my man.’ He could not have found a better coach and vice versa.
“For me he is at the level of Haaland, Lewandowski and [Real Madrid’s Karim] Benzema. If Belgium win anything, they owe it to him.
“His strength is always knowing how to react to difficult moments, always looking for the next goal. Now he is in top form.”
Scifo spent a single season at Inter in 1987-88 after joining from Anderlecht, and addressed criticism of his former club’s style of play under Conte, whilst praising midfielder Christian Eriksen as being important to the Nerazzurri’s recent form.
“The criticism is boring. I have seen several games and the team has depth, rhythm, and exploits the mistakes of their opponents. They improved a lot with the addition of Eriksen as a starter, I was surprised that he never used to play.
“Now he is back to how he used to be, but he has also adapted to Conte. I see a lot of myself in him, both on the pitch and in the journeys we’ve had. For me there was nobody to help me, but fortunately he has Conte,” Scifo concluded.
