Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to the world's best players, according to teammate David Alaba.

Lewandowski is facing four weeks on the sidelines with the knee injury that he picked up during Bayern's 3-0 win over Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The Poland international managed to score his 39th club goal of the season at Stamford Bridge, though, to make it 11 strikes in five Champions League outings this season.

Alaba, who also featured in Tuesday's clash, has insisted that the 31-year-old should be placed alongside Messi and Ronaldo in any conversation about the leading players in world football.

"He is a world-class player and a world-class striker. We all know he can score goals and he showed today another side of himself by putting assists," The Guardian quotes Alaba as saying.

"We know he is very important to us and we are grateful to have him. He shows it every weekend. He is one of the best, and maybe the best, striker in the world. He scores goals in almost every game and, of course, I think he deserves to be at the top and spoken about with those guys [Messi and Ronaldo]."

Lewandowski has averaged better than a goal a game in the Bundesliga this season, netting 25 times in 23 appearances in Germany's top tier.