Top 5 Barcelona forward trios since 2004

Barcelona have been playing with a 4-3-3 formation since 2004, and have more or less stuck to it. A slight deviation was made by Luis Enrique in 2017, when he made Barca play with a 3-4-3 formation, but that was temporary, and Barca again switched to a 4-3-3 after a while.

The past decade and a half has been glorious for Barca, as they have won 4 UEFA Champions Leagues and a host of LaLiga titles in the said period.

Not surprisingly, this golden period in Barcelona’s history coincided with the rise of Lionel Messi, quite possibly the greatest footballer of the modern era. Messi has been a constant part of a Barca attacking triumvirate since his debut for the senior team in 2004. He has won 5 Ballon d’Ors himself, and scored 569 goals in 655 matches for Barca. He has also had to play with different front-line teammates in his career.

Here we rank the top 5 Barca attacking trios of the last 14 years.

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#5 Coutinho, Messi, & Suarez

Since Phillipe Coutinho’s signing from Liverpool in 2018, he has mostly been a part of the Barca attacking trio also featuring Messi and Luis Suarez. He is much younger and less experienced than both of them, and has had to alter his playing style a bit to adjust.

Coutinho is more of a central attacking midfielder cum playmaker, but has had to start on the left wing for Barca. He has warmed the bench at times too, as players like Dembele and Rafinha have also started for Barca this season.

However, Coutinho has often dropped down to the midfield to collect the ball and create moves. Messi has moved to a central position more often than not, and Suarez has played as the centre forward who keeps moving to the flanks.

Coutinho’s return of 4 goals in 13 matches is also a reason behind Barcelona’s top position in the league table this season. Barca have also topped their group in the Champions League, and are among the favourites to win the title. The forward trio are likely to serve Barca for at least 2-3 seasons more.

#4 Messi, Villa, & Pedro

This triumvirate won the Champions League for Barca in 2011, and also 2 LaLiga titles. David Villa is an excellent centre-forward with very good link-up play and passing skills.

Pedro is a very skillful winger, and could play on either wing. They dismantled Manchester United with a solid performance still remembered by the Barca faithful. Pep Guardiola used this combination to great effect during his tenure as the Barca manager.

Pedro played in 321 matches for Barca and scored 99 goals. Villa had a relatively shorter but memorable stint with the Catalan giants, as he was signed from Valencia in 2010. He scored 48 goals in 119 matches for them.

Pedro meanwhile, left for Chelsea in 2015 after winning the Champions League title again. He also had good dribbling and passing skills, and could also hold on to the ball very well. Messi also helped them with his quick diagonal runs and short passes inside the final third. This was a combination that played for a brief period of time, but was very successful.

#3 Messi, Eto’o, & Henry

Arsenal legend Henry was signed by Barca in 2006, and spent 3 successful seasons with them. Although he played as a centre-forward for Arsenal, he successfully switched to a winger's role for Barca.

He used to play primarily on the left-wing, and cut inside frequently. Eto’o was also very successful for Barca as he played 199 matches in 5 seasons, and scored 130 goals. He won 2 Champions League trophies and 3 LaLiga titles for them. He was a versatile striker who could also interchange positions with a winger.

This combination helped Barca beat United in the Champions League final in 2009. They also thrashed Real Madrid 6-2 in 2009, when Messi scored a hat-trick. However, both Henry and Eto’o left soon after that, as Barca signed Villa in 2010.

Messi had a very good understanding with Eto’o, and always played well alongside him. Henry also proved the skeptics wrong by performing creditably well in LaLiga, in spite of being on the wrong side of 30.

#2 Messi, Suarez, & Neymar

The fastest and most clinical of all the Barca attacking trios, this combination helped Barca win the Champions League in 2015, and also 2 LaLiga titles. Neymar primarily played on the left wing for Barca, and cut inside with rapid strides. He also combined very well with Messi and Suarez to trouble the opposition defenders. He scored 105 goals in 186 matches for Barca.

Suarez on the other hand, remains a clinical striker with sudden acceleration and opportunism inside the opposition penalty box. He has scored 162 goals in 217 matches for Barca.

Messi continued his runs through the inside-right channel, and played quick, one-touch passes with Suarez and Neymar to create holes in the opposition defence. Barca beat Juventus 3-1 in a very entertaining Champions League final in 2015, enthralling its supporters with a superb exhibition of skill and speed.

#1 Ronaldinho, Messi, & Eto’o

The Brazilian great, Ronaldinho, combined with Eto’o and a young Messi to forge a wondrous triumvirate in the Barca attack from 2004. Barca went on to win the Champions League in 2006, and LaLiga in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Ronaldinho also won the Ballon d’Or in 2005. He scored 94 goals in 207 matches for Barca, besides creating many more, and remained a terror for the opposition defenders on the left wing. Barca had a great rivalry with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea during that period, and the two teams entertained the fans with some great matches.

Barca supporters will not forget the way Messi and Eto’ interchanged positions in the Champions League final of 2006 to score 2 goals against Arsenal after being 0-1 down. Nor will they ever forget Ronaldinho’s dominant performance against Real Madrid when Barca won 3-0 at the Bernabeu.

A much younger Messi also performed exceedingly well to cement a place in the Barca starting line-up during that period.