Greatest attacking trios of the modern era in football

Sportco enlists some of the greatest attacking trios of the modern game who have inspired their clubs to glory days. 

In football, we have seen many players singlehandedly carry their teams to victories, while some form pairs in defense, attack, or midfield and help teams achieve success. 

In football, if players form a tandem in any given position, this leads to a great understanding between the players and builds a better connection during the game emanating positive results. 

Here we look at the six notable attacking trios to have ever graced the beautiful game. 

Ronaldo - Rooney - Tevez (Manchester United)

Premier League has boasted some incredible attacking trios, however, no one has come close to Manchester United’s front three of Ronaldo, Rooney, and Tevez. 

Sir Alex Ferguson formed one of the most formidable trio, who led the club to two Premier League titles in 2008 and 2009 and a Champions League crown in 2008. 

The trio scored a combined 140 goals during their two years together as a trio at Manchester United.

Since then, no attacking trio matched Man United's front three-per-goal record, until Salah, Firmino, and Mane of Liverpool who has scored 301 goals till date. 

Henry - Eto'o - Messi (Barcelona)

After the departure of Ronaldinho, Barcelona bought Thierry Henry as the Brazilian's replacement as the left-sided attacking forward, and what followed after that was a remarkable year for Barcelona. 

The 2008/09 season, saw the famous trio bossed in every competition and wreak havoc in the opponent’s defense inspiring the club to an unprecedented treble, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League. 

The trio scored an astronomical 100 goals combined, where Messi netted 38 goals, Eto’o bagged 36 goals, and Henry 26 goals, etching their name in Barcelona folklore. 

Mane - Firmino - Salah (Liverpool) 

The front three of Liverpool have become the oldest trio in Liverpool’s folklore and have brought fruitful results to the club. 

After taking over the helms of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp formed one of the devastating attacking trios ever in the Premier League with Liverpool. Roberto Firmino has been at Anfield since the arrival of Klopp while Sadio Mane joined in 2016 and Mohamed Salah in 2017. 

The trio has fired Liverpool to Champions League, Premier League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup glory becoming the bonafide superstars of the Reds. 

The attacking trio have scored a whopping 301 goals combined, the Klopp’s men have broken countless records and are hungry to break more in coming years.   

Villa - Messi - Pedro (Barcelona)

The 2010-11 season saw Barcelona once again dominating Europe, with a different front three. However, Messi stayed as a bonafide starter for the Catalans, others who complimented the Argentine were David Villa and Pedro, forming one of the lethal attacking tridents. 

The attacking trio of Messi-Villa-Pedro went all the way to clinch the La Liga and Spanish Super Cup and Champions League trophy under Pep Guardiola, although Barcelona were runners-up in Copa del Rey. 

The club emanated one of the finest performances in Europe, their 3-1 UCL final win against Man United at Wembley was a testament to it. 

The attacking trio of Messi-Villa-Pedro fired a combined 100 goals that season, with Lionel Messi alone chalking up 55 goals, as he was at the peak of his career. 

Bale - Benzema - Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

The deadly Real Madrid attacking trio comprised of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, and Cristiano Ronaldo who notched up unprecedented consecutive Champions League titles and were a nightmare for defenders in Europe. 

The trio played together for five years racked up 4 Champions Leagues crowns and one LaLiga trophy during that period. 

The 'BBC' trio churned up a total of more than 400 goals during those five years and were one of the famous attacking trios in football history. 

Neymar - Suarez - Messi (Barcelona) 

Barcelona has produced some of the devastating attacking trios in football, however, the MSN combination tops them all.  Going down one of the decorated trios to ever grace both the Nou Camp and football itself.

With Neymar dribbling, Messi’s intelligence, and Suarez finishing they formed one of the feared partnerships in Barcelona. 

They fired the club to their second treble in the 2014/15 season, the MSN claimed total 9 trophies together and scored a grand total of 140 goals during three years stint at Barcelona.

Did we miss out on any of your favorite attacking trios of the modern game? Do share your knowledge with us in the comments below!