5 best attacking trios in Europe this season (January 2023)
In the last decade, Real Madrid’s 'BBC' (Bale-Benzema-Cristiano) and Barcelona’s 'MSN' (Messi-Suarez-Neymar) emerged as the two most fearsome attacking trios in the world. The players understood each other flawlessly and tormented opponents with their lethal finishing and razor-sharp movement. The trios have unfortunately disbanded since, making room for others to take center stage.
Today, we will take a look at the five attacking trios that have got the football town buzzing this season. The players listed below do not necessarily play together all the time but are the top three leading scorers of their respective teams. With that in mind, let’s check out the highest-scoring attacking trios in Europe in the 2022-23 season.
Stats via: Transfermarkt
Special note: The top five domestic leagues and cup competitions have been considered.
#5 Nkunku-Werner-Silva (RB Leipzig) — 33 goals
RB Leipzig’s attacking trio of Christopher Nkunku, Timo Werner, and Andre Silva have been on fire this season, scoring a combined total of 33 goals.
French ace Nkunku has been the undisputed star of the trio. In 23 matches so far, Nkunku has pitched in with 17 goals and four assists. Twelve of his 17 goals have come in 15 Bundesliga appearances.
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Ex-Chelsea man Werner has also been impressive at his old hunting ground. Appearing in 16 games, the German has popped up with nine goals and four assists.
Portuguese forward Silva is the third member of the trio. He has struck the perfect balance between scoring and assisting this season, netting seven times and setting up seven goals in 23 appearances for Leipzig across competitions.
#4 Musiala-Mane-Choupo-Moting (Bayern Munich) — 34 goals
German giants Bayern Munich lost Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona last summer. However, even without one of their most prolific goalscorers of all time, Bayern have managed to keep racking in the goals, courtesy of the attacking trio of Jamal Musiala, Sadio Mane, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Jamal Musiala has been a godsend for the Bavarians this season, with the German scoring and assisting for fun. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has featured in 22 games for the Bavarians across competitions, recording 12 goals and 10 assists.
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Former Liverpool ace Mane may not have been able to match Lewandowski’s output, but he has popped up with his fair share of impressive goals. Since the start of the season, Mane has netted 11 times and provided four assists in 23 appearances across competitions.
With Thomas Muller struggling to live up to his billing this season, Choupo-Moting has emerged as Bayern’s third-most effective forward. The former Paris Saint-Germain ace has appeared in 16 games this season, registering 11 goals and three assists.
#3 Salah-Nunez-Firmino (Liverpool) — 36 goals
Liverpool trio Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Roberto Firmino have scored 36 goals in the 2022-23 season, emerging as one of the best in Europe.
Salah has been the most prolific member of the fearsome trio, recording 17 goals in 26 games across competitions. The Egypt international, who won the Premier League Golden Boot as well as the Playmaker Award last season, has scored seven times and provided four assists in 17 league appearances thus far.
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Salah has demonstrated his excellence in the Champions League as well, scoring seven times and providing an assist in six appearances to emerge as the competition’s joint-leading scorer (alongside Mbappe).
New signing Nunez has been heavily criticized for some of his misses, but his tally of 10 goals in 23 games is undoubtedly respectable. Firmino is the third member of the trio, with the Brazilian chipping in with nine goals in 21 matches.
#2 Haaland-Foden-Alvarez (Manchester City) — 44 goals
Manchester City currently possess the most prolific attacking trio in the English Premier League. The dynamic trio of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, and Julian Alvarez have been scoring for fun this season, racking up a staggering 44 goals across competitions.
Arguably the signing of the season, Haaland has been the leader of the pack, scoring 27 of the 44 goals. The Norwegian sharpshooter is leading the Premier League Golden Boot race, netting 21 times in 16 games. He has scored five more goals in the Champions League (four games) and added another in two EFL Cup appearances.
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A current Premier League goals total of 21 in a season with a World Cup break. Not normal. https://t.co/1G2CqLFxkr
Foden has also been popping up with goals and assists regularly in the 2022-23 campaign, recording nine goals and four assists in 26 appearances. Finally, there is newly-crowned world champion Alvarez, who has primarily played second fiddle to Haaland. The 22-year-old has featured in 23 matches for the Cityzens (10 starts) so far, scoring eight times and providing two assists.
#1 Messi-Mbappe-Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) — 48 goals
With Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar in their ranks, Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have the most explosive attacking trio in Europe. The trident has scored 48 goals this season, establishing PSG as one of the most fearsome teams on the continent.
French superstar Mbappe has emerged as PSG’s leading goalscorer in the 2022-23 season. The former Monaco man has scored 20 goals and provided two assists in 22 appearances across competitions. He is currently Ligue 1’s leading scorer with 13 strikes in 16 matches and is also the joint-highest scorer (alongside Salah) in the Champions League, netting seven goals in six games.
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Neymar comes in second place, with the Brazilian scoring 15 times and providing 13 assists in 22 matches across competitions. He has been particularly stunning in Ligue 1, scoring 11 times and setting up his teammates on 10 occasions in 16 games.
Finally, there is seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who has been playing like a man possessed this season. Having fired Argentina to the World Cup in December, Messi is gunning to conquer it all with PSG. He has scored 13 times and claimed 14 assists in 20 games across competitions thus far, and is showing no signs of stopping just yet.