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Attacking trios have always captured the imagination of fans and connoisseurs alike. That's because football, in essence, is a game that is won by the team that outscores the opposition. If a team can assemble a devastating front three, more often than not, they'll overwhelm opposition teams by scoring a plethora of goals.
Throughout the history of the game, there have been many fabulous attacking trios for clubs and countries.
A few examples in this regard would be Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Francisco Gento of Real Madrid; Ronaldo Nazario, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho of Brazil, and more recently Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale of Real Madrid, and Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez of Barcelona, to name a few.
All these trios have achieved roaring collective success for their respective teams, with all four trios considered some of the best attacking triumvirates to have graced the game. On that note, let's take a look at the five best attacking trios in the game heading into the 2021-22 season.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa | Juventus
The Juventus attacking trident of Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa is one of the best in the game at the moment.
The trio may have played only one season together, but sizzled as an attacking partnership, registering almost 100 goal contributions (70 goals, 27 assists). Ronaldo played predominantly down the center, while Morata and Chiesa operated on the wings; the Spaniard also played as a center-forward and a second striker at times.
Though Morata and Chiesa are not prolific scorers like Ronaldo, who scored 36 times last season, the duo more than made up for that by registering a high number of assists for the Portuguese star and other Juventus teammates.
Despite the trio's exploits, it was a shame that Juventus fared poorly in other areas - especially in defense - and failed to win their first league title in a decade.
It is worthwhile to note that both Morata and Chiesa are on loan, from Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina, respectively. All three of Ronaldo, Morata and Chiesa sizzled for their respective teams - Portugal, Spain and Italy - at Euro 2020, and will look to carry on in the same vein under new manager Massimiliano Allegri.
#4 Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane | Bayern Munich
Like the Juventus trio mentioned above, Bayern Munich's attacking trio of Robert Lewandowski, Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry have only played together for one season.
In Hansi Flicks' all-conquering team, Lewandowski once again sizzled in the center-forward role, plundering 48 goals in all competitions, including a record 41 haul in the Bundesliga.
Gnabry and Sane on the wings contributed only 21 goals between them and combined for 19 assists. The injured Gnabry failed to build on the exploits of his previous season, while Sane also produced a largely modest campaign.
However, they were massively complemented by the evergreen Thomas Muller, the Raumdeuter, who operated just behind Lewandowski and exploited the half-spaces between opposition defenders. The 31-year-old registered 21 assists for the second consecutive Bundesliga season as Bayern Munich won a record-extending ninth consecutive league title.
Under new manager Julian Nagelsmann, who prefers an exciting brand of attacking football, all four players are expected to enjoy stellar campaigns, especially the front three of Lewandowski, Sane and Gnabry.
#3 Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz | Chelsea
Unlike the two other trios mentioned earlier, the attacking trio of Romelu Lukaku, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner is a brand-new one.
While Havertz and Werner arrived at Chelsea on big-money transfers last summer, Lukaku has done so this summer, arriving on a humongous €115 million transfer after a prolific campaign with Inter Milan. The Belgian international had a productive two-season stint at the Serie A champions, scoring 64 goals in nearly 100 games.
Meanwhile, the two Germans endured largely lukewarm debut campaigns at Stamford Bridge last season. While Werner started on a promising note, he endured a long goal drought but made up for it with his assists.
His compatriot Havertz made a slow start but began to sizzle after being asked to operate in a more advanced role by Thomas Tuchel towards the end of the campaign; Havertz scored the winner in the Champions League final against Manchester City.
The attacking partnership of Lukaku, Havertz and Werner holds much promise, as the former is no stranger to the Premier League. The Belgian is expected to hit the ground running and that could rub off on Werner and Havertz, with the former expected to build on an up-and-down first season at Stamford Bridge.
#2 Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino | Liverpool
The trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane is widely regarded as one of the most devastating attacking triumvirates in recent history, having played together for four seasons now.
All three players were played pivotal roles as Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool team won the Champions League and Premier League in successive seasons. Salah, Firmino and Mane scored a combined 126 goals in these two campaigns and also registered an impressive 63 assists between themselves.
While Firmino and Mane underwhelmed for Liverpool last season, who finished a distant third in the league, Salah was one of the Reds' few bright sparks in a dismal injury-plagued campaign.
With their key defensive personnel expected to be back this season, Klopp will once again look to his attacking trio to deliver the goods upfront as Liverpool seek a return to title-winning ways.
#1 Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe | PSG
In Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, PSG already had a potent attacking force. Now with Lionel Messi added to the mix, it makes the trio arguably one of the most devastating attacking units in the history of the game.
Although the trio have yet to play together, even in a friendly, expectations are abuzz that MNM will steamroll opponents in the league and also create a big splash in Europe. That's because of the pedigree of each player.
While Messi is arguably the finest player to have graced the game, one who can score and provide assists aplenty, Neymar has tallied more than a goal contribution per game during his stint at PSG. Mbappe, meanwhile, is regarded as one of the best young attackers in the game and is coming off a 40-goal domestic campaign.
It remains to be seen how an expensively assembled PSG roster, also boasting Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marquinhos and Marco Verratti fare this season.
Considering the quality of personnel at their disposal across all positions - especially their trio upfront - anything short of a continental treble could be regarded as a huge disappointment.
