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Having a lethal attacking trio is just as important as having a solid defence these days. Those three attacking players, if talented enough, can change the game at any given moment to change the outcome of a cup final or even the season itself.Teams such as Liverpool and Barcelona have profited over the years by using a combination of three attacking players to form a deadly attacking force. The current Liverpool forward line, in particular, stands out as one of the best in modern-day football. However, many other trios throughout the history of football have also enjoyed their time at the summit and established the formation as one of the most potent strategies of contemporary football.
With that being said, here are the top 5 trios in the history of football.
#5. Liverpool: Mane| Salah| Firmino
When Mohamed Salah arrived in Anfield in 2017, many Liverpool fans were sceptical of the Egyptian's goalscoring prowess and his ability to link up with the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. Fast forward 3 years, however, and those same sceptical Liverpool fans can be found singing the name of the two-time Golden Boot winner as he rounds off another impressive season full of goals.
The Egyptian has formed an incredible partnership with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino since arriving at Merseyside. The dynamic trio have been at the forefront of Liverpool's recent return to the top, winning a Champions League, a Super Cup, and Club World Cup in the process and taking them to the cusp of the elusive league crown. The front three have won 3 Golden Boots between them with Salah sharing last season's Golden Boot with Mane to add to his record-breaking award in 2018.
In their second season together, the trio played a crucial role in Liverpool's 6th Champions League win after scoring a combined 13 goals. But, it was in the Premier League that the front three really impressed. The trio scored a combined 57 goals with Mane and Salah sharing the Golden Boot with 22 goals each. To this day, the front three are still together and tearing up the Premier League in a season that may end with Liverpool's first title in 30 years, a potential achievement that the front three have played a huge role in.
#4. Manchester United: Ronaldo| Rooney| Tevez
The 2007-2009 Manchester United team will go down as one of the best in Premier League history with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Carlos Tevez all a part of the team under the management of a true managerial great in Sir Alex Ferguson.
It was a team that won it all during a two-season period which saw Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez form one of the deadliest frontlines in Europe. The trio scored a grand total of 140 goals during their time together at Manchester United, winning two Premier League titles and a Champions League in the process.
During that period, Manchester United also won the Club World Cup, an achievement not many English sides have accomplished, one League Cup and two Community Shields to really cement their place as one of the greatest teams in history.
The trio will go down as one of the most successful in history after being part of one of the most dominant sides the Premier League and Europe have ever seen.
#3. Barcelona: Eto'o| Messi| Henry
The forward line of Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, and Lionel Messi sounds like a dream but in 2008, it was very much a reality for Barcelona. The trio won it all during their partnership which only lasted a couple of seasons due to an ageing Henry and the departing Eto'o. However, for those two seasons, the partnership stood out as the best in Europe, scoring a combined total of 100 goals in the 2008/09 season and winning the treble.
Barcelona won the Champions League as well as the battle of the front threes in 2009 after defeating Manchester United 2-0 in Rome. It was, in fact, two-thirds of the front three that won Barcelona the game with goals from Messi and Eto'o settling the proceedings and proving a point to the world that no frontline in football was better at that point of time.
The trio is undoubtedly up there with the very best that football has ever seen after winning the famous treble together in the 2008/09 season.
#2. Real Madrid: Bale| Benzema| Ronaldo
During Real Madrid's incredible three year run of Champions League wins, the trio of Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema dominated Europe, scoring over 200 combined goals and winning several trophies in the process. The trio was formed to impress on the big occasion, and it did just that.
In the 2018 Champions League final, both Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema scored to win Real Madrid their third Champions League in a row. Bale also netted both goals as Real Madrid secured a cup double in 2014, the Welshman's first season at the Bernabeu.
The trio played a crucial role in many key games to secure Real Madrid several trophies to make them one of the best front threes in the history of football and perhaps the most dominant the Champions League has witnessed.
The frontline had a perfect combination of the pace of Gareth Bale, the intelligence of Benzema, and the completeness of Ronaldo to form a front three that was feared across Europe.
#1. Barcelona: Messi| Neymar| Suarez
The trio of Messi, Neymar, and Suarez will eventually go down as the best forward line to ever grace both the Nou Camp and football itself. The combination of movement, Brazilian flair, and the incredible intelligence of Lionel Messi formed the deadliest and most feared partnership in Europe.
The trio simply had it all and proved this by scoring 364 goals across 3 seasons together. They were at the heart of the Barcelona treble-winning side in the 2014/15 season, scoring a combined total of 131 goals.
The famous partnership ended in 2017 after the departure of Neymar, who swapped Barcelona for Paris to mark an end of an era full of goals, trophies and unforgettable moments. The trio won a total of 9 trophies during their time together alongside their teammates, including two domestic doubles in a row, something that hadn't been done in Spain since the 1950s.
