Romelu Lukaku is a "more complete" all-round player than Cristiano Ronaldo, claims Italian World Cup-winning striker Luca Toni.
Ronaldo currently leads the Serie A scoring charts with 25 goals, while Lukaku is second with 21. However Inter Milan boast a 12-point lead over Juventus in the league and Toni - who lead the line when Italy lifted the World Cup in 2006 - says Lukaku has been a difference-maker.
"Lukaku is decisive for his team even when he doesn't score goals," said the former Bayern Munich striker, then added: "but CR7 is always world class.
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"At this moment in time, I see Lukaku as being a more complete striker than Ronaldo, especially considering he is also younger."
That might seem outrageous given Ronaldo's special array of skills. But perhaps Toni has a point that the 36-year-old Ronaldo can't be quite as active for the team as can the 27-year-old Lukaku.
When it comes to Serie A assists this season, Belgian forward Lukaku has nine to Ronaldo's three.
Toni has also criticised Ronaldo's attitude after he reportedly threw down his shirt and punched a dressing room wall after failing to score in Juve's 3-1 win over Genoa last weekend.
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"He's very important for Juventus," Toni said, per Football Italia. "He's the leading goalscorer, he scored a lot.
"But I'm not impressed by some of his attitude towards the group. I think back to when I was playing.
"I was very selfish and if I didn't score, I still remained on the pitch to celebrate anyway. I endured the disappointment."
Toni - who finished as a Serie A and Bundesliga top scorer throughout his career - clearly believes for all Ronaldo's "world-class" quality his presence is proving problematic for Juventus right now.
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Would it be best for both player and club if Ronaldo was to leave Juve in the summer? Let us know in the comments.
All imagery: PA Images
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Serie A, Romelu Lukaku, Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo, Inter Milan