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In 2025, the football world continues to admire the remarkable teamwork and brilliance of some of the best attacking trios in football. These forward lines are not just scoring goals but redefining partnership, creativity, and dominance on the pitch. Across football leagues in the world, these trios drive their teams' successes, producing magical moments that charm football fans worldwide.
Top 10 best attacking trios:
Note: The stats of best-attacking trios are the list of the trios currently playing in the top 10 leagues and domestic leagues of those countries along with UEFA Competitions.
| Rank | Club | Players/Goals | Trio Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | Robert Lewandowski (26) Raphinha (20) Lamine Yamal (9) |
55 |
| 2 | Sporting CP | Viktor Gyokeres (32) Trincao (7) Conard Harder (7) |
46 |
| 3 | Liverpool | Mohamed Salah (21) Luis Diaz (12) Cody Gakpo (12) |
45 |
| 4 | Bayern Munich | Harry Kane (22) Jamal Musiala (14) Michael Olise (9) |
45 |
| 5 | Atalanta BC | Mateo Retegui (15) Ademola Lookman (12) Charles De Ketelaere (10) |
37 |
| 6 | PSV Eindhoven | Ricardo Pepi (15) Malik Tilman (11) Luuk De Jong (11) |
37 |
| 7 | Atletico Madrid | Julian Alvarez (14) Antoine Griezmann (12) Alexander Sorloth (10) |
36 |
| 8 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Omar Marmoush (20) Hugo Ekitike (12) Hugo Larsson (4) |
36 |
| 9 | FC Porto | Samu Aghehowa (18) Galeno (12) Nico Gonzalez (6) |
36 |
| 10 | Real Madrid | Kylian Mbappe (14) Jude Bellingham (9) Vinicius Junior (13) |
36 |
1. Lewandowski- Raphina- Lamine Yamal: (55 goals)
Barcelona's attack is one of the most feared in Europe and their strong performances in all major competitions are the reason they are bubbling in the hope of winning major trophies this season.
The Yamal-Lewandowski-Raphinha trio is one of the lethal attacking trios currently formed in the Spanish League. This lethal front three scored a combined 55 goals, with Lewandowski leading the charge with 26 goals. Yamal and Raphinha also contributed, with 9 and 20 goals for them respectively.
Recently Barcelona won Super Copa de Espana, where the Catalan giants triumphed over Real Madrid with a dominating 5-2 scoreline. The trio played a major role in that game, with Raphinha scoring a brace and Yamal's magical finishing giving them their 15th Spanish Super Cup title.
2. Gyokeres-Trincao-Conard (46 goals):
Sporting CP are currently having a remarkable 2024-25 season with their deadly attacking trio of Viktor Gyokeres, Francisco Trincao, and Conard Harder leading the team in front. The lethal attacking trio was formed under Ruben Amorim in Sporting CP at the start of the 2024/25 season.
Till now, they have scored a combined 46 goals with Gyokeres contributing 32 of those 46 goals. Trincao and Harder donated notably 7 goals each.
They were pivotal in Sporting CP winning the Portuguese Primeira Liga and Portuguese Cup this season. This enabled them to be so high on our list of "Top 10 best-attacking trios in football" at the moment.
3. Salah-Diaz-Gakpo: (45 goals):
Liverpool are currently one of the best football teams in the world, topping the charts in both UEFA Champions League and English Premier League. The trio of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo have been one of the reasons why they are feared so much by opponents at the moment.
Though this trio was created by none other than Jurgen Klopp, it is becoming one of the World's best under the creative eyes of Arne Slot. Salah, Diaz and Gakpo have scored a total of 44 goals so far across competitions and 32 of them came in Premier League.
Salah is having a fantastic season contributing 21 goals while Diaz and Gakpo had their fair share of success with 12 goals as well.
4. Kane-Olise-Musiala: (45 goals)
Although Bayern Munich has not had a great start in the Champions League this season, the defending Bundesliga Champions have run riot in their league. All thanks to the goal-scoring combination of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala.
Kane with 36 league goals last season had already shown that they can be lethal in any league in the world while Olise and Musiala are proving why they are called the future of football.
In 2024-25 season, this trio has scored 45 goals across competitions. Kane is topping the chart for them with 22 goals. Meantime, Musiala has been on the best in business with 14 goals to his name. Olise, meantime has scored 9 so far.
5. Retegui-De Ketelaere-Lookman (37 goals):
This can come as a shocker for a few of the football fans. But, the 2023/24 Europa League winners are having a good season with their best arrivals Mateo Retegui, Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman in action for them.
Ketelaere was brought in from AC Milan while Retegui came to the club from Genoa CFC to form a lethal combination with Lookman under Gian Gasperini. The trio till now have added 37 goals of which 27 came in the Serie A.
Retegui has added 15 goals while Lookman and De Ketelaere added 12 and 10 respectively.
6. Pepi-De Jong-Tilman: (37 Goals)
The defending Dutch league champions are cruising in their league at the moment and the devastating trio of Ricardo Pepi, Lukk de Jong and Malik Tilman are mostly responsible for that. Tilman was brought into the club from Bayern Munich by Peter Bosz.
Though they are not being mentioned enough in the conversation of many football pundits currently, this attacking trio has enjoyed great success in the league so far. So far, they have added a total of 37 goals in the season with Pepi leading them with 15 goals.
De Jong and Tilman have added 11 each as well. The pace of Tilman and the finishing skill of Pedri to go with De Jong's physicality is what has made this trio unbeatable till now.
Can they transfer that form in UEFA Champions League? That would be the question the PVS fans would be asking though.
7. Alvarez- Griezmann- Sorloth: (36 Goals)
Normally whenever we talk about a Diego Simione team, we talk about defence, we talk about the solid base and style at the back. However, this time, we are compelled to discuss the attacking trio formed by Julian Alvarez, Antonio Griezmann and Alexandar Sorolth
Alvarez's inclusion into this team has helped them bring pace and creativity to the offensive areas while Griezmann's experience was always invaluable. Meantime, Sorloth, the former Villarreal recruit brought in the finish they had been looking for years.
Read Also | Antoine Griezmann retires from International football: A throwback to his journey
Till now this trio has added 36 goals across competitions, 21 of which coming in the La Liga which helped them crawl back to the top of the Spanish League table.
Argentine forward Alvarez has added 14 goals while Griezmann added 10 and Sorloth contributed with 10 goals. However, it has been Angel Correa, the right winger who has been instrumental as well in the Champions League for them, scoring 3 goals in 5 appearances in the tournament.
8. Marmoush-Ekitike-Larsson (36 goals):
Well, if you are giving a fight to teams like Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen in your national league, there would be some things you are doing right as a team. Though this trio is not as popular as the Kane-Musiala-Olise one, they are surely cranking up numbers for them.
The attacking trio of Omar Marmoush, Hugo Ekitike, and Hugo Larsson has been one of the best in the top 5 European Leagues at the moment with 27 goals in the Bundesliga so far. Across competitions, they have added 36 goals so far and the credit must go to Omar Marmoush who has added 20 goals for them so far.
Hugo Ekitike has scored 12 while Larsson added 4 goals.
But, with Marmoush heading to Manchester City, it would be interesting to see how Frankfurt can keep the momentum.
Read Also | January Transfer Window: All you need to know
9. Aghehowa-Galeno-Gonzalez (36 goals)
If you are looking for a football league which has been one of the most competitive so far in Europe, it would be the Portuguese League. Defending champion Sporting CP with 41 points, Benfica with 41 while FC Porto are giving them a fight with 40 points after 17 games for all of them.
And the credit for Proto's great run in the league must go to the trio of Samu Aghehowa, Galeno, and Nico Gonzalez.
Aghehowa, who was brought in from Atletico Madrid, has been their best player with 18 goals in 23 games while Galeno added 12 and Gonzalez scored 6 goals.
However, they have not been able to transform their league form to Europa League so far.
10. Mbappe-Vinicius-Bellingham (36 goals):
This trio was already making a noise even before it was created. Every football pundit was guessing how Real Madrid could line up with Kylian Mbappe arriving at the most successful European club.
Though they have not given the results expected from them, they have done enough to be on this list. Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., and Jude Bellingham have added 36 goals in the season so far.
But, they would surely be looking to add more goals to that tally, especially in UEFA Champions League, where they have struggled till now. Mbappe after joining his dream club has netted 15 goals this season, followed by Vinicius with 14 goals. Jude Bellingham has scored 9 goals so far this season.
In La Liga, this attacking trio has added 25 goals, the 10th best in the top 5 European leagues.
An Honorary mention:
Doku- Haaland- Foden: (33 Goals)
The trio is not on the list because of their inconsistent performances for Manchester City in all competitions, but their skill to run through teams enabled them to get the mention.
This lethal trio has added 33 goals so far, where Haaland led the trio with 21 goals, Doku contributed with 5 goals, and Foden chipped in with 7 goals.
The Evolution of Attacking Partnerships in Modern Football:
Attacking shapes and formations along with style of play has evolved over the years. Here is a brief discussion how attacking trios have evolved in the last few decades.
- In the 1930s, Raich Carter and Cliff Bastin (Arsenal in the 1930s) were centred around two central forwards or inside-forwards working together.
- As football progressed in the 1970s and 1980s, we saw more dynamic combinations like Kevin Keegan and Keny Dalglish (Liverpool), where one striker was often more of a playmaker while the other was the goal scorer or the finisher.
- By the 1990s and 2000s, attacking combinations became more fluid with the rise of false nines and multifunctional forwards. We saw that combination in Spanish team with players like David Villa, Fernando Torres, and Pedro showcasing how diverse an offensive system could be, mixing pace, skill, and finishing skills.
- The 2010s marked the peak of attacking trios, notably with B-B-C (Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo) at Real Madrid and M-S-N (Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar Jr.) at FC Barcelona. The fluid movement, exceptional link-up play, and individual brilliance of both those trios helped those two teams win domestic and European titles.
- In the 2020s, attacking units became even more flexible. The combination of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City showed how the modern football system needs versatility at the top and midfield.
Read Also | MSN vs BBC: Rivalry of football's greatest trio in stats
Predictions for the rest of 2025:
Which trio will dominate the remainder of the year? Let's predict that.
Note: These predictions are based on the teams and the best-attacking trio's current form.
1. FC Barcelona (Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski):
With Robert Lewandowski as a top-tier striker, Raphinha's flair, and the explosive talent of Lamine Yamal, Barcelona has a balanced attacking trio. Lewandowski's experience combined with the youth and creativity of Raphinha and Yamal could provide a powerful offensive force, especially as the season progresses.
2. Bayern Munich (Kane, Musiala, Olise):
Harry Kane offers a clinical finishing ability, while Jamal Musiala's creativity and Michael Olise's flair add significant dynamism to Bayern's attack. This most lethal attacking trio, alongside Bayern's overall strength, could be a key contender for the remainder of this year.
3. Liverpool (Salah, Diaz, Gakpo):
Mohamed Salah continues to be one of the best in the Premier League, with Luis Diaz adding the South American flair and speed and Cody Gakpo's versatility and finishing making Liverpool's attack incredibly strong in European football.
4. Atalanta BC (Lookman, De Ketelaere, Retegui):
Mateo Retegui's goal-scoring ability, Ademola Lookman's pace and directness, and Charles De Ketelaere's technical skills provide a very effective combination. Atalanta has often been an underdog with powerful attacking units. This trio is one of the most lethal attacker's trios formed in Italy.
5. Real Madrid (Mbappe, Vinicius, Bellingham):
With Kylian Mbappe's pace and finishing, Jude Bellingham's intelligence, and Vinicius Junior's dribbling and explosive skills, Real Madrid has one of the most exciting lethal attacking trios in all of Europe. If they build chemistry, they could be devastating for the rest of the season.
Potential Emerging trios to watch:
1. FC Barcelona
Lamine Yamal, Vitor Roque (currently on loan at Real Betis), Gavi
2. Bayern Munich
Mathys Tel, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane
3. Real Madrid:
Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, Endrick
4. Liverpool:
Ben Doak, Harvey Elliot, Curtis Jones.
Let us know your predictions about these attacking trios and which trio will dominate the rest of the year. Share your thoughts on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
Barcelona are back in it.
Pedri scores a worldie. 
Mbappe wins the penalty, and he converts it too. 
Target achieved for Osasuna as they have been able to head into the tunnel without conceding a goal. 
In: Gavi, Jofra and Rashford 
Raphinha, last season's highest goal scorer for Barcelona, gets into the scoresheet in the first match itself. 
The Champions are BAAAAACCCKK and how!
OHHHH MYYYY WORRRRLLLDDD!
Bournemouth are back in it.
Cody Gakpo doubles the lead for the defending champions. 
