What are the best attacks/front threes in football in the 2020s? We have got you covered. Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona all feature.
We tried to avoid using the same club twice unless their attack has been completely remodelled. E.g. Real Madrid this season gets in but not last season’s attack because they signed Kylian Mbappe, though we do appreciate that they won the 2023/24 Champions League.
Anyway, here is a bit of a light-hearted feature that will still garner plenty of angry comments on the site and social media, because of course it will.
5) Serge Gnabry, Robert Lewandowski, Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
This trio enjoyed two very successful seasons together, with Thomas Muller also there or thereabouts, doing his Raumdeuter thing. Kingsley Coman was also a crucial part of the Bayern team in the early 2020s, scoring the only goal in the final of the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain.
You can take your pick who the third name is but we have chucked Leroy Sane in over Coman and Muller.
Bayern signed Sane from Manchester City after they became European champions in 2020 and his numbers have been quietly and consistently solid, while former Arsenal youngster Gnabry has been a fantastic player for the Bundesliga juggernauts, scoring at least 10 goals in five consecutive Bundesliga seasons from 2018/19 to 2022/23.
Lewandowski was the best striker in the world and should have won the Ballon d’Or in 2020. He was unstoppable and having the world-class Gnabry and Sane either side of him certainly helped.
4) Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha (FC Barcelona)
Apologies to Manchester City fans, who are probably going to question the absence of their Treble-winning attack, and while Erling Haaland by himself should be enough, there was too much chopping and changing to say for definite what Pep Guardiola’s front three has been since Haaland’s arrival in 2022. Not only has the personnel frequently changed, but so has the formation.
With that in mind, we have gone with this season’s Barcelona attack, comprised of a teenager, an old fogey and a player in his prime years.
It turns out that combination works extremely well. Lamine Yamal has recorded 12 goals and 17 assists across all competitions at the age of 17, a 28-year-old Raphinha is having the season of his career, producing 46 goal contributions in 41 appearances, and old man Robert Lewandowski has 34 goals in 39 matches.
It would be a shame if Hansi Flick’s Barcelona end up without a trophy in 2024/25 – excluding the Spanish Supercopa. They are the favourites for the Champions League and are currently top of La Liga, though it is extremely tight between themselves, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
3) Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
These guys are surprisingly not the favourites to win the Champions League, a year after Brazilian duo Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior won the big one at Wembley, playing in front of the brilliant Jude Bellingham.
After becoming European champions, those pesky Galacticos added arguably the most frightening attacker in the world to their ranks, and on a free transfer! Kylian Mbappe and his ridiculousness has made an already elite attack even better after some initial teething problems in the Spanish capital.
Perhaps the tight first-leg home win over Atletico Madrid is factoring in on those Champions League odds because if they see off their city rivals, you would fancy them to dispatch Arsenal and go all the way.
At the time of writing, these three have combined for 59 goals and 22 assists in 45 Real Madrid matches this term.
2) Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
This Liverpool front three is iconic. They won everything together and two of the three to have left did so at the right time, while Mo Salah could bow out after the greatest individual season in Premier League history.
Their best years were towards the end of the 2010s but this incredible trio trickled into the 2020s and were still playing some outrageous football together. They claimed Liverpool’s first Premier League title, albeit behind closed doors, in 2020 and it has always been genuinely difficult to decide which of these three was the most important under Jurgen Klopp.
Salah had the numbers on his side but Sadio Mane’s consistency and clutch goals could put him ahead of the other two, while Roberto Firmino was always the glue, the unique false-nine that made his two wide forwards look so good.
Firmino’s overall play was a joy to watch and made up for what some may view as a lack of goals. The Brazilian was often chipping in with assists and his wise movement and incredible football IQ was the underlying reason for the incredible ruthlessness and success of this Liverpool attack.
READ MORE: Mo Salah: GOAT Premier League winger and Ballon d’Or favourite is Liverpool’s third-top scorer ever
1) Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Talent-wise, nothing comes close in recent history. The greatest attack of all time is probably Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, with all three players in their prime. Real Madrid simultaneously boasted a front three of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But this PSG team massively underachieved. It was a crime against football that they never won a Champions League, or reached a final, or reached a semi-final, or reached a quarter-final!
This attack somehow never made it beyond the round of 16, which will put their placement on this list up for debate, but this is not all about accolades and team success. Sure, football is won on grass and we are looking at paper, but it’s Messi, Mbappe and Neymar, FFS.
And before the angry mob get to the comments, let’s address the elephant in the room: sorry, there is no Dan James, Manor Solomon and Joel Piroe. We know it’s a controversial one but let’s try and be adults about this.
READ NOW: Five reasons why Liverpool title win needs an asterisk like the last one