Deadly Duo's: The Top 5 Striker Partnerships of All-Time
The 5 Greatest Striker Partnerships in Football
A striker partnership sees two individual players combine to create a dynamic and free-flowing attack for their team.
Harri Burton takes a look at the most devastating striker partnerships in football history for The Sporting Blog.
Some of our picks might surprise you!
Striker partnership Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez
Whether it comes naturally to them, or they use telepathic powers to know exactly where the other will be, a striker partnership is one of the most crucial aspects of a successful team.
The chemistry between two attackers takes time to develop, but once it has blossomed, it becomes one of the hardest forces in football to stop.
In this article, we’ve put together the top 5 striker partnerships of all-time. It’s fair to say that many talented players missed out on the list.
Harry Kane & Heung-Min Son (Spurs)
Premier League record for the most combined goals between a pair of players
Kane drops deep into midfield while Son paces in behind
This pair have scored the most combined goals in a season - a current record
First up, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. It is difficult to justify the inclusion of a striking duo that is yet to win a trophy, especially after playing together for nearly eight years.
However, England’s prolific striker and one of the most-loved footballers in Asia are the first names making it onto the list, holding the Premier League record for the most combined goals between a pair of players.
During the 2020/21 season, the pair also broke another record, scoring the most combined goals in a season, beating Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton’s 13-goal contributions.
Despite Spurs’ struggles on the pitch, it is truly incredible to see Kane and Son link up. Kane’s ability to drop deep into midfield, combined with Son’s pace in behind, has made for several goals over the years.
On their day, the duo can be magical to watch.
Lionel Messi & Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
This duo were part of the legendary MSN trio
Secured a FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Champions League Title, UEFA Super Cup and more
Played together for six years at Barcelona
The dynamic trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar (MSN) set the world alight, but it was obvious that no one out of the three combined better than Messi and Suarez.
Messi is one of the most prolific, talented and magical players to grace the footballing world - and a player that fans need to cherish while they can.
The natural talent of the Argentinian, combined with the understanding, relentless, hungry striker in Suarez, saw the pair rack up over 800 goals for Barcelona in their many years together.
It’s a crying shame that the pair were not able to experience more years together at the La Liga club, with Suarez departing for Atletico Madrid and, later, the heartbreaking story of Messi leaving for Paris Saint-German.
With both of them deadly in front of goal, it is no wonder that Barcelona managed to claim four league titles, four domestic trophies, a UEFA Champions League title, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup in the six years the duo spent together at the club.
Frank Lampard & Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Held the record for the most combined goals between two players before Kane and Son
Lampard scored 177 goals in 609 Premier League appearances
This duo typified the Jose Mourinho era at Chelsea
Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba’s inclusion in this list may be contentious. With Lampard a midfielder, the two were not technically a striking partnership.
However, despite playing in the middle of the park, the Englishman managed to score 177 goals in 609 Premier League appearances across three different teams: West Ham United, Chelsea and Manchester City.
This places him only behind Alan Shearer, Harry Kane, Andrew Cole and Sergio Aguero.
Lampard is one of the greatest players Chelsea and the Premier League have ever seen, with the midfielder inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame in May 2021.
When you add Didier Drogba to the mix, there was almost no stopping Chelsea in the moments it mattered.
Lampard and Drogba were an iconic duo. It typified the Jose Mourinho era, with the two combining under ‘The Special One’ to claim three Premier League titles between 2004 and 2010.
Their link-up play was a testament to that, with the duo holding the record for the most combined goals between two players in the Premier League for many years before Kane and Son took over.
Of Drogba’s 104 league goals, 24 of them were set up by Lampard, with the Ivorian repaying the favour on 12 occasions.
Chelsea fans will feel these two needed more time together, having won multiple trophies for the club.
Dwight Yorke & Andy Cole (Manchester United)
The pair had an almost telepathic understanding when playing
Scored a combined total of 53 goals in the 1998/99 season
Won the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League
Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole formed one of the most formidable striker partnerships in the history of the game, taking the Premier League by storm during their time playing for Manchester United.
Yorke and Cole complimented each other perfectly – the former known for his jaw-dropping technique, agility and creativity, while the latter fed off his predatory instincts, poaching ability and clinical finishing.
If you were to believe the possibility of it, you might say that the pair developed a telepathic understanding, instinctively knowing where the other would be, which made each defender quake with fear.
This understanding led the duo to play quick two-ones, make intelligent runs and, most importantly, allowed them to score some crucial goals.
Yorke and Cole were vital for Man United’s treble-winning season when the Red Devils won the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League during the 1998/99 campaign.
The pair scored a combined total of 53 goals in all competitions that season, leaving them to be remembered as one of the most impressive striker partnerships in football history.
Alfredo Di Stefano & Ferenc Puskas (Real Madrid)
Scored all seven of Real Madrid’s goals at the 1960 European Cup final
Racked up 302 goals between them
This pair helped Real Madrid win five consecutive European trophies
To understand just how good this duo was, we have to travel all the way back to 1960.
Combining for Real Madrid between 1958 and 1964, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas delivered on one of the biggest stages of them all – the 1960 European Cup final.
In the first European match to ever be broadcast worldwide, the pair put on a show, combining for all seven of Los Blancos’ goals in a memorable 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
If that isn’t enough to convince you, in one of the greatest periods in the club’s history, the two racked up an eye-watering 302 goals between them. This justifies not only their inclusion on this list, but their position in the list too.
Di Stefano possessed a delicate technique and skill, while Puskas was known to be the prolific goalscorer, with an exceptional left boot and clinical finishing.
As a partnership, the strikers worked together in harmony, helping Real Madrid to win five consecutive European trophies.
Not only did they establish the club as one of the most dominant forces in world football, but they also elevated each other’s performances and had a profound impact on the sport.
It will be extremely difficult to find a partnership like these two again. Some may say impossible.
Who would you add to our list? Tell us in the comments!
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