Kylian Mbappe is set to join Real Madrid this summer and link up with Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. to form a combination which has the potential to be one of the most frightening attacking trios in world football.
Bellingham’s ability to score goals from the number ten position partnered with the pace and skill of forwards Mbappe and Vinicius Jr will be a problem for any defence in world football.
Here are some of the other best attacking trios of recent times…
Salah, Mane and Firmino
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the best attacking trios of the Premier League era. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino were unstoppable at times for Liverpool. Since the start of the 17/18 season, they notched up an incredible 338 goals between them in 731 appearances. This contributed to winning a Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup and the Club World Cup. Between the three, they also accumulated 139 assists.
Sadly, the partnership ended in 2022, with the 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final being the final game they would all play in. Mane left Liverpool for Bayern Munich that summer.
Messi, Suarez, Neymar
Embed from Getty ImagesKnown as MSN, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were at the peak of their powers when they were all playing together at Barcelona. An era that lasted three seasons, the trio scored an astonishing 364 goals, with 173 assists between them too.
Together they won two La Ligas, three Copa del Reys, the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League, the 2015 UEFA Super Cup, the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2016 Supercopa de España. During that time, Barcelona won the treble too in 2014/15, after beating Juventus in the Champions League final.
Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the finest attacking trios of the Sir Alex Ferguson era. Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez were goalscoring machines during a time when Manchester United dominated the Premier League. Together they won two Premier League titles, two Community Shields, the 2007/08 Champions League, the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, and the 2008/09 League Cup.
All three worked so well up top together with heir attributes complementing each other very well. In 140 appearances they scored 79 goals between them.
Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema
Embed from Getty ImagesRonaldo was part of a second deadly trio when he, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema had a fruitful five years together at Real Madrid from 2013-2018. Bale joined from Spurs and the three players went on to have unbelievable success in the famous white shirt. They racked up a maddening 442 goals across five glorious seasons.
They achieved the best accolades in club football, winning the 2013/14 Copa del Rey, four Champions Leagues, three UEFA Super Cup, four FIFA Club World Cup, the 2016/17 La Liga title and the 2017/18 Spanish Super Cup. They had the winning DNA, and all three were complemented by a staggeringly good team behind them.
Messi, Eto’o, Henry
Embed from Getty ImagesLionel Messi was blessed with incredible attacking partners during his time at Barcelona. When Thierry Henry joined Barcelona in 2007, he, Messi and Samuel Eto’o formed an attacking presence that helped win a famous treble for the Catalan club – the 2008/09 Copa del Rey, La Liga title and Champions League trophies all ended up in the hands of Barcelona after a truly magnificent season.
Pep Guardiola was at the helm and changed Barcelona’s fortunes for the better. It was in this singular season where the three truly shone, and achieved the best of the best in Spanish football. In one season they hit a century of goals between them.
