Back in 2007/08, Manchester United boasted a front line comprising some of football’s very best talents.
It was one of the best teams Sir Alex Ferguson had ever managed to construct at Old Trafford, winning the Premier League and Champions League double.
Rio Ferdinand said the 2008 United side would beat the 1999 team, with both being very similar in dominance and ability. Manchester United came so close to also completing a 2008 treble, but losing in the FA Cup to Portsmouth with Rio Ferdinand in goal ended those dreams.
The success was built on the back of a strong defence, with Ferdinand partnered by Nemanja Vidic. However, it was offensively that United blew teams away with a front three that comprised two club legends and a player who had a sensational season.
Sir Alex’s starting trio was Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Here are the numbers behind their sensational season.
Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Manchester United’s front three from 2007/08 were sensational
The trio of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez led the club to a double, they racked up an incredible goals and assists tally combined.
Manchester United front three stats 2007/08 across all competitions
Player Games Goals Assists
Carlos Tevez 48 19 7
Cristiano Ronaldo 49 42 8
Wayne Rooney 43 18 13
Despite these impressive stats across all competitions, the trio’s Premier League figures were just as good if not better.
Ronaldo – 34 games, 31 goals, 7 assists
Rooney – 27 games, 12 goals, 12 assists
Tevez – 34 games, 14 goals, 6 assists
Gary Neville labelled this team ‘breathtaking’, while midfielder Owen Hargreaves picked Ronaldo and Rooney as the best in the team.
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Combined, the trio tallied up 79 goals and 28 assists together across all competitions. But how does this compare to some of the Premier League’s other great front threes?
How Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney compare with other Premier League trios
The United front three from 2007/08’s goal record was only surpassed by Liverpool’s 2017/18 side with Mohamed Salah (44), Roberto Firmino (27) and Sadio Mane (20) combining to score 91 goals in total.
United’s 79 goals were matched on a handful of occasions, with 2009/10 Chelsea scoring the same through Didier Drogba (37), Frank Lampard (27) and Florent Malouda (15).
The figure was also equalled by United’s 2002/03 side which saw Ruud van Nistelrooy (44), Paul Scholes (20) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (15) score the goals.
So despite not being clear at the top of the rankings for goals, the United front three of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez are widely seen as the best in league history due to the incredible season they had together in year one.