Chris Martin: `Coldplay will never be as good as Take That`

The 34-year-old frontman said that despite having sold 50 million records across the globe, Coldplay can't compete with the man band.

'We're never going to be as good as Take That but that's OK. We're too old to worry about that now,' he told The Sun.

But he had nothing but praise for Take That singer/songwriter Gary Barlow.

'Gary's like the captain of music - the John Terry of English music.

'It's different for us. We're like one of those players that signs for a club in Italy. We're not necessarily as popular at home as we are elsewhere. But Gary's definitely the number one.'

And Martin - who has two kids with Gwyneth Paltrow - also revealed that he and his bandmates have even developed a love of the X Factor, where Gary is currently working as a judge.

'We love The X Factor like everybody else. I can't watch this phase when they're telling people they're bad, but once it gets to the live bits, I enjoy it.

'For all the slagging off it gets every week they're singing really great songs and introducing old music, so it's great.

'I didn't think it would work without Simon Cowell but it really does. That's because Gary's the man.'