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Football is a team game and the collective almost always triumphs over individual talent. Having said that, the game has given us incredible attacking players who have decided innumerable games on their own. There are occasions when one club is blessed with not one, but three players of such quality that they win most matches because of their talent while the rest of the team provides a base for them to flourish.
We have been fortunate to have witnessed such attacking trios across different eras in football. Let's look at five of the top trios of all time at club level.
5. Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah
At the moment, they are the best attacking trio in the world. Having played an important role in delivering the Champions League in 2018-19, they show no signs of slowing down with sights firmly set on winning the elusive Premier League title for Liverpool.
In two full seasons together, they have contributed a combined 227 goals and assists. Klopp's tactics and the team set-up has allowed them to play so well and post such numbers. The balance between the three is beautiful and key to their success while working in tandem.
Sadio Mané plays from the left wing, his pace and power making him almost unplayable on his day. With 60 goal contributions, he has developed greatly since his move from Southampton as his pass to Origi in the 5-2 win over Everton will show.
An eye for a pass and the ability to execute it being added to his repertoire means he is only going to get better. After his 4th place finish in the recent Ballon d'Or vote, it says a great deal when the perception is that he deserved to be on the podium.
Mohamed Salah has contributed 100 goals and assists out of the 227 between the trio. His output is unmatched. A fleet footed winger with pace to burn at AS Roma, he had surprised even the coaching staff at Liverpool with his ability. They have ensured that he's in the right positions to finish moves, using his finishing and speed to great effect.
Roberto Firmino is the most underrated and important piece of the puzzle. His ability to link with the other two combined with his movement and general in-game intelligence is what facilitates such effective attacking play. While he does so much more than provide goals and assists, 67 goal contributions point to his all-round game.
If and when they deliver the Premier League, they will cement their status as one of the best attacking trios of all time.
Also check out: Premier League Table Champions League table La liga table 2019-20
4. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale
The famous BBC trident got together under Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid in 2013-14. They played together until Ronaldo's departure to Juventus at the end of the 2017-18 season.
In that period, they scored 442 goals for the club while delivering 4 Champions League titles in 5 years; Ronaldo - 249, Benzema - 105, Bale - 88. A hat-trick of Champions League titles was unprecedented since no club had even defended the Champions League/European Cup since AC Milan did it in 1990.
Ronaldo was the main man as he plundered goals for Los Blancos, equalling Messi's tally of 5 Ballon d'Or awards in the process. He evolved from being a world-class winger to an elite finisher who couldn't stop scoring. Bale was vital in the Champions League wins in 2014 and 2018 with key goals against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool respectively. Benzema, similar to Firmino currently, played the role of the facilitator brilliantly. His playing style complemented Ronaldo's and Bale's perfectly as they won countless accolades together.
While their trophy haul is unheard of, Bale's fitness issues prevented him from being a consistent presence in the playing XI in their four years together. They may have been higher up in the list had we seen what they were truly capable of.
3. George Best, Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton
The United Trinity, as they are known, have been honoured with a statue outside Old Trafford. They were the attacking triumvirate who led Manchester United to the top of English and European football in the 1960s.
All three won the Ballon d'Or in the 1960s, then awarded by the magazine France Football to the best European player that year. Law won it in '64, Charlton in '66 and Best in '68.
Denis Law was a proper poacher, while George Best was a skilful winger and is still considered as one of the best dribblers of all time. Bobby Charlton was an attacking midfielder who played behind the other two, with a penchant for scoring long-range goals. He was the anti-thesis of Best in terms of his personality.
While Best had a great impact on pop culture, Charlton was always reserved and unfashionable, which may have led to the viewers slightly underrating him. They played together from 1964 to 1973 and combined to score 516 goals together; Law - 208, Best - 177, Charlton - 131.
Law helped win the English league in 1965 and 1967 but missed out on the club's greatest triumph a year later as United won their first-ever European Cup. Regardless, they have been immortalised in United's history with the statue and will continue to serve as an inspiration in the future.
2. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar
It would be egregious to give an introduction to these three. Luis Suarez completed the set after his transfer from Liverpool in 2014.
Because of the FIFA ban received in the World Cup, he only began playing in October. In the beginning, with Suarez stationed on the right, the attacking play was ordinary with there a feeling that something was missing from the side, considering Barcelona had protagonists from the top 3 South American countries. After a loss to David Moyes' Real Sociedad, it was as if a switch had flipped. Suarez moved to the middle with Messi on the right, the Catalans exploded as they steamrolled their opponents, winning the treble in 2014-15.
Their outrageous talent and great relationship off the pitch translated to some sublime play on a regular basis. It was difficult for defences to figure out a method to stop all three at once. While they did not win nearly as much as they could have, they scored 364 goals and provided 171 assists in 3 seasons together. Individually, Messi led the way with 153 goals with Suarez just behind on 121, while the Brazilian managed 90. The sheer numbers are unimaginable. When you factor in the ingenuity of the attacking play, it amounts to so much more than mere statistics.
Neymar is a player most similar to Messi in terms of impact on the game with respect to goals, assists, dribbling and involvement in the team's build-up play. With the two on either wing and Suarez working tirelessly through the middle, it was a match made in heaven. That all three were lethal finishers can be seen in the end product.
The group was broken after Neymar's move to PSG in 2017. It almost happened again as Barcelona tried re-signing Neymar this summer. Assuming the transfer materialises and Suarez lasts one more season as a starter, we will be fortunate to get an encore.
1. Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskás and Paco Gento
The iconic Real Madrid team of the 1950s won the European Cup 5 years in a row from 1956-60. They had this legendary group of attackers to thank for their success. While Alfredo Di Stefano and Paco Gento were present for all the 5 Cups, Ferenc Puskás joined Los Blancos in 1958. They made goalscoring into an art form.
They played together from 1958-59 until 1963-64. In their five years together, they scored a remarkable 440 goals. It is some feat because they did not play 60 games a year like the current top players do. Individually, Puskas led the charge with 215 goals, followed by Di Stefano with 148 goals while Gento scored 77 goals. They won 4 league titles, 2 European Cups, 1 Copa del Rey and 1 Intercontinental Cup in the same period.
In terms of playing style, Di Stefano is regarded as one of the first 'total' football players. He influenced generations of footballers. As per the well-known analysis piece by Spielverlagerung, 'Di Stefano could play all of the central positions; centre forward, second striker, ten, eight, six, central defender, libero. But he played them all simultaneously.
As a central striker, he often fell back between the defender in the 3-2-5 to fetch balls directly from his own penalty area and then march forward. With the ball at his feet, he used his game intelligence to open the game with long-range passes, dodge around spaces and enemy pressing movements with combinations, or simply dribble past one, two, or even three opponents.'
Puskás is, of course, a legendary goalscorer. He ended his Real Madrid career with 242 goals in 262 apps. He has been honoured by FIFA as the award for the Best Goal of the Year is known as the Puskás Award.
Paco Gento was an extremely fast left winger with excellent vision and technical ability. He ended his career in 1971 with 12 league titles and 6 European Cups, a record till date. He was named Honorary President of Real Madrid after the death of Alfredo di Stefano. “The Estadio Santiago Bernabeu started to believe in the impossible thanks to Paco Gento,” said Florentino Perez.
