What is the best attacking trio in football history is a question fiercely debated among football fans. While football teams play with different attacking strategies and deploy varying tactics depending on their manager, some of the best offences in football history have featured attacking trios.
Some managers prefer to go with two strikers up front serving as target men with midfielders and fullbacks providing the width, while others go with one striker up front. However, most of the successful teams in football history have more often than not deployed attacking trios, giving rise to the question: what is the best trio in football history?
A football attacking trio with good chemistry between themselves has been a long-existing and tried-and-trusted formula in the sport. An attacking trio features one centre forward and two attack-minded players in the wide areas operating from either side.
From the the Brazilian national team of yesteryear where Pele, Jairzinho and Tostao took up the duties of going forward, to the modern day iconic tridents of Messi-Suarez-Neymar at Barcelona and Benzema-Bale-Ronaldo at Real Madrid - football fans have seen plenty of explosive attacking trios over the years.
Here we look at some of the best trios in football history which gave opposition defences nightmares while on the pitch.
Best trio in football history
MSN
With the purchase of Luis Suarez after the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Barcelona assembled an attacking trio that ripped defences apart for fun. The Uruguayan frontman joined the company of Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr, bringing together one of the best trios in football history.
Between the three of them, Messi, Suarez and Neymar scored 364 goals between themselves from the beginning of the 2014-15 season until Neymar Jr left Barcelona, bringing an end to the trio in 2017.
They won the coveted treble in their first full season under Luis Enrique in 2014-15, scoring 122 goals between themselves.
BBC
Another trio that was in full swing during the same time period as MSN was Real Madrid’s BBC, consisting of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
In their first full season together, the trio scored 97 goals between them and went on to win the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid in 2014. This attacking trio won four Champions League titles in five seasons as well as two league titles.
RRR
Among national teams, the combination that gets the most attention in recent years is Brazil’s famed trio of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, referred to as the ‘Three Rs of football’. They are often regarded as the best trio in football history, with each player showcasing unique flair, unparalleled quality and skill in the team.
Their exploits helped Brazil win the FIFA World Cup in 2002, where they scored 15 goals between themselves. They also won the Copa America in 1999, scoring a combined 11 goals.
Photo Credit: Alamy
