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Football has always been a team game irrespective of the opposition or the competition involved. While there is enough value to individual brilliance, collective effort is what counts in the end.
There have been plenty of cases where partnerships on the pitch have gone a long way in bringing success to the team. Dwight Yorke and Andrew Cole, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, Xavi and Iniesta, and many other footballers have been effective with their chemistry on the pitch.
Many European teams have relied on some of their top players to sync and be devastatingly effective on the pitch. The 2021-22 season has been no different in this regard as many partnerships have done wonders for their respective clubs.
Top-quality players linked up amazingly well to create problems for the opposition. Here, we take a look at the best link-ups in Europe last season, with players linking up in a specific fashion on the pitch to produce goals for their respective teams.
Note: Europe's top five leagues are considered. All stats as per WhoScored
#5 Kevin Volland to Ben Yedder (AS Monaco)
AS Monaco finished in third place in Ligue 1 last season, qualifying for the Champions League play-offs. The French club had a decent outing but would have expected better given the quality of players they possess.
Out of the 65 goals Monaco scored last season, 34 came through Wissam Ben Yedder and Kevin Volland. The duo combined well on the pitch to pose a threat to the opposition.
Wissam Ben Yedder scored 25 goals in Ligue 1 in just 29 starts, the second highest goal-scorer in the league. Interestingly, Kevin Vollan managed to assist the Frenchman with seven of his 25 goals.
#4 Florian Wirtz to Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen)
Bayer Leverkusen had a decent spell in the Bundesliga last season. The German club went on to finish third in the league with 64 points in the table.
One of the highlights of their 2021-22 campaign was their form while moving forward. Bayer were direct and created a lot of problems for the opposition. The combination of Patrik Schick and Florian Wirtz did wonders for them in attack.
The duo scored 31 goals between them, with Schick scoring 24 goals, the second highest goal-scorer behind Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga. The 19-year-old Florian Wirtz linked up well with the Czech forward as he directly assisted in seven of his 24 goals.
#3 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
Lazio failed to qualify for the Champions League at the end of last season, having finished six points adrift of fourth-placed Juventus. It is a pity considering they have some great players at their disposal.
They are certainly blessed to have someone like Ciro Immobile with them, who has been nothing short of a goal-scoring machine in Serie A for the past six seasons. Additionally, the presence of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic only adds more productivity to the attack.
Immobile finished the 2021-22 campaign with 27 Serie A goals to his name. While Milinkovic-Savic finished with 11 goals, his link-up with Immobile saw him assist the Italian in seven of his 27 goals. Lazio will be strongly hoping to keep both these quality players for the upcoming season.
#2 Lionel Messi to Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
The 2021-22 summer transfer window saw Lionel Messi leave Barcelona after 17 seasons to join Paris Saint-Germain. While it was difficult to digest at first, it was a dream come true for the French club.
With Kylian Mbappe already present in the team, the addition of Messi only made it more heart-warming for the Paris Saint-Germain fans. Mbappe was in terrific form last season, having scored 28 goals and registered 17 assists.
The Frenchman played a major role in helping the club win the Ligue 1 title. Lionel Messi took some time to settle in the league but once he did, he didn't waste time in being productive for his team and teammates.
The Argentine superstar went on to assist Mbappe seven times in the league last season, building a strong chemistry with the 23-year-old starlet.
#1 Thomas Muller to Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Bayern Munich have been dominating the Bundesliga for more than a decade now. The 2021-22 campaign saw them register a comfortable league victory with a gap of eight points from runners-up Borussia Dortmund.
Much credit goes to their brilliant striker Robert Lewandowski. The Polish attacker has been phenomenal for the Bavarian club with his fine positioning and clinical finishing. He finished the season with 35 league goals, more than any other player in the Bundesliga.
While Lewandowski led the goal-scoring charts, Thomas Muller led the assist department. The German playmaker registered 18 assists last season, out of which eight came directly to help Lewandowski score.
The experienced duo showed great sync and understanding on the pitch, only making it difficult for the opposition in handling them.
