Best front three in history

Kazi

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Oo0AahCantona said:
Surely Messi, Suarez, Neymar is the best forward line ever seen? i just got back from the camp Nou last week and seeing those 3 jerseys lined up next to each other put little shivvers on my spine.
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How highly does Barcelona's current front three rank? They have probably two of the top three players in the world (3rd is hard to call between Suarez, Robben and Neuer), and Neymar is up there too. Then there's the chemistry between the three, the unselfish movement and runs in behind etc.

Others to consider:
Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Messi
Henry, Eto'o, Messi
Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo
 
We have to see their work first, no need jumping to early conclusions. Does this history start in the new millennium or something?
 
I don't think Messi, Neymar and Suarez have done enough together to be named the best ever. Guess it may have potential, but they'd need to do it in finals, big games, etc.

From what I've seen, Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Messi was a mouthwatering front three. Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez were superb too.
 
They've yet to finish a season together so it's ridiculous to be claiming they're the best front three in history.
 
On paper you've got one of the top 2 players in the world, one of the best attackers in the world and one of the best younger players in the world who is producing at an extremely productive rate already. Furthermore like you've already said, there's a chemistry there. The are playing for each other rather then themselves.

They have to do more than what they have already done to be one of the best ever but there's potential there, definitely.
 
Archie Leach said:
I remember Henry, Eto'o and Messi scored 100 goals between them in a season which is pretty astonishing.
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Might be a goal or 2 off, but i think they have 90? between them now already not including assists. and thats with suarez's ban at the start of the season and plenty of games left!
 
antohan said:
Then he should have Stoichkov-Laudrup-Romario, surely.
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They never played as a front three though, did they? There was always another winger. Also considered Juventus' Inzaghi-Zidane-Del Piero but I don't see Zidane as an attacker.
 
Kazi said:
Rivaldo (5), Ronaldo (8), Ronaldinho (2 - missed semi)
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I don't particularly remember that Brazil side as being unstoppable, it was a Scolari side after all, but...

15 goals in 7 World Cup games :eek: You could stop one or the other, but never all three.
 
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Kazi said:
They never played as a front three though, did they? There was always another winger. Also considered Juventus' Inzaghi-Zidane-Del Piero but I don't see Zidane as an attacker.
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Usually there was another winger as Barca played a 3-4-3 diamond, but Laudrup was at the tip and part of a front four. Zidane would be more akin to what Laudrup's role was when they went 4-3-3 (pivot) with him as the right CM.
 
Really liked the Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Guily front three.

But the three R's are the best for me.
 
Tbh performance wise, i don't think anyone can argue against Messi-Villa-Pedro of 2012. But i personally liked our Ronaldo/Rooney/Tevez the most i guess.
 
Kazi said:
Go on then, let's hear some suggestions
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Graziani-Rossi-Conti
Müller-Rummenigge-Hoeness
Rensenbrink-Cruyff-Rep :drool:
could argue Raúl-Morientes and Zidane, more so than Del Piero-Inzaghi and Zidane

Some awesome front fours (Zagallo-Pelé-Vavá-Garrincha, or Rivelino-Tostao-Pelé-Jairzinho, or Boniek-Rossi-Bettega with Platini behind them) and fives before that.

It is largely correct to say the great teams moved from front 5s to front 4s, then suddenly dropped to 2/or 1-2, and 3 has been more common since the 00s.
 
Depends if you're going off mainly effectiveness or how :drool: it looks on paper. I mean, if we're just looking at names on a sheet then you may as well throw Ronaldo, Ruud and Rooney in there, which would be daft. It's about finding a balance between the two.
 
antohan said:
Then he should have Stoichkov-Laudrup-Romario, surely.
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Sort of. Laudrup not really a "front three" like he's talking about about. Otherwise there's a whole lot of threesomes that can rival each other.

Most of the best trios are from national teams. Don't think OP is taking them into account.
 
Unlikely lad said:
Ronaldo, rivaldo and ronaldinho for me
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This, by a country mile.

Suarez, Neymar and Messi arent even the best Barcelona front line. Pedro, Villa and Messi or Henry, Eto'o, Messi were better than they have been so far.
 
11101 said:
Werent they more of a front four, with Tostao?
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Technically, yes. Two wingers, two strikers but somehow I always viewed them as a 3 with Tostao as a slightly in behind forward. I'm probably wrong but its just that he had such fantastic vision and passing and got a lot of assists, to me, its like he was more of a '10' and Pele as the '9'.
 
Di Maria, Rooney, Bale.......

Seriously though Law, Charlton, Best needs a mention, ain't no one else ever have 3 ballon'dor winners in the attack!

Also RIP if you played a high line against Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez
 
Got to be Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho for me.

A shame about Ronaldinho's decline though. The trio of Messi, Eto'o and him could've been so much more.
 
Rivaldo-Ronaldo-Ronaldinho is probably nostalgia more than anything. Ronaldo just returned from a serious injury in 2002 and despite his 8 (was it?) WC goals he was not the same player. This sort of acceleration was not there anymore:



(Robson's reaction at the end :D)

Rivaldo was at the end of his career and Ronaldinho was only starting to make a name for himself as a youngster. Actually that 2002 Brazil side wasn't even rated at the time if I remember correctly. Didn't Pelé famously predict that they wouldn't even make it through the group stages?

If we're imagining all 3 at their peaks then it's hard to beat but that never happened unfortunately.
 
Keizer - Cruyff - Rep for Ajax, with Resenbrink instead of Keizer for the Dutch team.
 
Archie Leach said:
I remember Henry, Eto'o and Messi scored 100 goals between them in a season which is pretty astonishing.
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Messi 45
Neymar 28
Suarez 18
= 91

With at least 9 more games to go and Suarez missing the beginning of the season and taking another few months to adapt and get going. Which already makes it more impressive in my opinion, especially without prime Xavi and Iniesta creating in midfield. Problem with Henry-Eto'o-Messi is that Messi was nowhere near as decisive in 2008 as he is now. Eto'o was still Barca's top scorer for example.

11101 said:
Suarez, Neymar and Messi arent even the best Barcelona front line. Pedro, Villa and Messi or Henry, Eto'o, Messi were better than they have been so far.
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Neymar-Suarez-Messi is comfortably better than Villa-Messi-Pedro. That entire Barca side as a unit was better (better pressing, tactical edge, Puyol, Abidal, Alves in their primes, Xavi and Iniesta in their primes) but certainly not Villa and Pedro better than Neymar and Suarez. Both had bad dips in form in the 2nd half of the season in 10/11. Pedro scored 1 league goal between February and May and Villa scored 4. Again nostalgia if you ask me. That Barca side was all about the midfield. A player like Pedro shouldn't even be part of an "all time" discussion. Obviously got to deliver the trophies first but I think it's fair to conclude already that Suarez isn't inferior to Villa and Pedro isn't even compareable to Neymar.
 
Cait Sith said:
Messi 45
Neymar 28
Suarez 18
= 91

With at least 9 more games to go and Suarez missing the beginning of the season and taking another few months to adapt and get going. Which already makes it more impressive in my opinion, especially without prime Xavi and Iniesta creating in midfield. Problem with Henry-Eto'o-Messi is that Messi was nowhere near as decisive in 2008 as he is now. Eto'o was still Barca's top scorer for example.



Neymar-Suarez-Messi is comfortably better than Villa-Messi-Pedro. That entire Barca side as a unit was better (better pressing, tactical edge, Puyol, Abidal, Alves in their primes, Xavi and Iniesta in their primes) but certainly not Villa and Pedro better than Neymar and Suarez. Both had bad dips in form in the 2nd half of the season in 10/11. Pedro scored 1 league goal between February and May and Villa scored 4. Again nostalgia if you ask me. That Barca side was all about the midfield. A player like Pedro shouldn't even be part of an "all time" discussion. Obviously got to deliver the trophies first but I think it's fair to conclude already that Suarez isn't inferior to Villa and Pedro isn't even compareable to Neymar.
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As individuals and on paper yes, Neymar-Suarez-Messi, but so far as a unit (which is what this thread is about) they have a long way to go. In those two Barcelona teams they were also about a lot more than simply scoring goals. They were also part of that midfield.
 
11101 said:
As individuals and on paper yes, Neymar-Suarez-Messi, but so far as a unit (which is what this thread is about) they have a long way to go. In those two Barcelona teams they were also about a lot more than simply scoring goals. They were also part of that midfield.
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Yes, I understand that. However I don't think as a unit Neymar-Suarez-Messi is lacking in anything compared to Villa-Messi-Pedro and that can certainly be concluded already after about 30 games together. Unless we're measuring with trophies and not actual performances regardless of team trophies. In that case the Pep Barca sides will be near impossible to beat.
 
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