Sergio Aguero is the world’s best striker.

And, according to teammate Frank Lampard, if he can keep up his breathtaking run of goalscoring, he can make the elite duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo into a threesome.

Lampard was as impressed as the rest of the football planet as “Kun” grabbed a hat-trick of economic genius – three goals from three shots – to sink European champs Bayern Munich.

That fired the Blues to the brink of a staggering Champions League escape, which they can complete with a good result in Roma on December 10 – if Bayern do them a favour against CSKA.

And the Blue resurrection is handing Lampard – who won the trophy with Chelsea two years ago – the chance of a swansong that could persuade him to ask New York City for an extension to his loan spell.

Lampard says that, in terms of strikers Aguero, who has 17 goals in 18 appearances this season - has no peers at the moment.

“He’s top of the world football strikers,” said the veteran former England midfielder. “We’re fortunate in the Premier League - last year we had Luis Suarez and now, not to discount anyone, we are looking at Aguero and Diego Costa as the two in-form strikers in world football.

“Obviously different styles, the pair of them. Fantastic players - and Sergio won us the game against Bayern, obviously.”

Aguero himself has dismissed the possibility of being classified with his close pal Messi and Real Madrid ace Ronaldo, saying they are on a “different planet”.

But Lampard says that his goal heroics are the fuel that could rocket the 26-year-old to that particular planet.

“I think it’s in his hands,” said Lampard. “It’s a big call to make. Ability-wise from seeing him at close quarters, he is in that bracket.

“If he can carry on with this form, doing it week in and week out, which he is doing, then people will talk about him in the same breath.

“I haven’t been fortunate enough to play with those two, I have admired them from afar, but in terms of Aguero, he is certainly right up there.”

But Aguero is still short of being the greatest striker Lampard has played with – that honour goes to Didier Drogba, who scored 157 goals in 341 games in his pomp for Chelsea, from 2004 to 2012.

Asked if Aguero is the best striker he has played alongside, Lampard replied: “He’s one of them.

“I am fortunate enough to have played with Didier Drogba who for me was the greatest, but it is very hard to compare those two because their style is so different, but in terms of pure finishing, electric pace …

“In my first few days training here my friends and other people were asking ‘Who does this or that in training?’ and I said ‘This Aguero is just different class’. He has proved that. He can’t stop scoring.”

Aguero’s goals have kept City in the hunt in Premier League and Champions League, but Lampard says that will not continue unless the rest of the squad responds and matches his standards.

“I’m not saying anything’s possible, you have to work round him, it’s about the rest of the team,” he said.

“But when you have people like that it makes things easier because he takes the majority of his chances. He took every one of his chances against Bayern.

“World-class strikers do help you win games and win points and go through. The rest of the team need to perform and to an extent we can certainly get better and we will get better from that.”

Lampard included himself in that assessment, a tad modestly, because – if you take Aguero’s stunning hat-trick out of the equation – the 36-year-old was City’s best player against Bayern.

But he has a point that if the squad hits Aguero’s heights, City could still do great things this season.

“I think people need to chip in at all times but great strikers love the burden,” he said. “They want the burden of scoring goals and I am sure he is as happy after the Bayern game as he will ever be that he is scoring goals and winning games.

“With the ability we have got in the squad, I think we will improve from here. We make no bones about not being on top, top form but we are still in the hunt and that is what good teams do, they stay in the hunt. We’ll try to step up and do the job in Rome.”

Lampard has proved he has more than enough left in the tank to be an influence at the top level, not least with his display against Bayern.

Although he is too diplomatic to admit it, he would love to extend his stay with City and chase major honours one last time – and City will discuss the possibility of extending a loan which expires on January 1, with Yaya Toure leaving for the African Nations Cup a few days later.

Lampard says the length of loan is a matter between the two clubs, but is relishing the Roma game.

He added: "The atmosphere will be amazing. I went to Rome recently for a short break and football is their life, their passion.

“They are in the same spot as us I suppose - it is in their hands to an extent as well.

“I would love to be involved. I really enjoyed the Bayern game. It was something I didn’t imagine, playing Champions League football again, but I have been given the opportunity and I really enjoyed playing against a top-class team.

“We are all aware that with the ability in the squad we should qualify. We know about the Moscow results, they were games we could or should have won and then we’d have one foot through, so it was up to us to turn that corner against Bayern.

“We haven’t been playing so well lately, no one is going to lie about that but sometimes you have to grit it out and get your results and we did that against Bayern.”