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When it works out, strike partnerships are one of the most wholesome things in football. The forwards look for each other every time they dash into the final third, feeding off one another and celebrating goals together. Nothing is quite as satisfying as seeing a forward duo tear through organized defenses at will.
Today, we will take a look at five partnerships that have given us innumerable moments of joy. Here are the top-five striker pair-ups that have stood out in the last decade:
Special mention: Harry Kane-Son Heung-min and Sergio Aguero-Diego Forlan.
Special note: All stats via Transfermarkt.
#5 Kylian Mbappe and Neymar - Paris Saint-Germain
In 2017, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) went all-in to form a Champions League-winning squad. They first triggered Neymar’s €222 million release clause in his contract with Barcelona. The Parisians then signed Kylian Mbappe on loan from Monaco with a mandatory €145 million purchase option.
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PSG are yet to fulfill their dream of winning the Champions League, but the duo have given us quite a few special moments over the years.
Courtesy of Neymar’s creativity and Mbappe’s breakneck pace, very few teams in the world can resist PSG. Since 2017, the attacking pair have played 107 games together, combining for 42 goals across competitions.
Had it not been for the Brazilian’s frequent injuries, the numbers would surely have been significantly higher. The PSG pair have won 12 trophies together, including three Ligue 1 titles.
#4 Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane - Liverpool
Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are two of the most revered forwards in the Premier League. They both love finding the back of the net, but never step on each other’s toes.
Mane joined Liverpool from Southampton for £34 million in the summer of 2016. Salah moved to Anfield a year later in 2017, joining from AS Roma for an initial fee of £36.5 million.
The Senegalese barely took a minute to welcome the Egyptian to the club, combining effortlessly with him from their first outing together.
They have generally started on opposite flanks, which is why they do not assist each other as frequently as some of the other duos. But when they do, the effect is almost always devastating.
Since 2017, they have played 211 matches together, sharing over 16000 minutes on the pitch. The duo have 31 joint goal participations and have so far celebrated one Premier League title and one Champions League triumph together amongst other honors.
#3 Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez - Barcelona
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez struck fear in the hearts of defenders for well over half a decade. Messi and Suarez’s partnership at Barcelona did not just blossom on the pitch, but their families also gelled well with each other.
The duo had an utter and complete understanding of each other’s movement, which probably wouldn’t have happened without their off-field friendship.
Suarez joined the Camp Nou unit from Liverpool in the summer of 2014. He was serving a disciplinary suspension at the time, which prevented him from taking part in the opening few La Liga encounters.
As soon as he returned to the pitch, Messi lent him a helping hand, easing his transition into the team. Before joining Atletico Madrid in 2020, Suarez played 258 games with Lionel Messi.
They assisted each other a whopping 99 times, winning several honors, including four La Liga titles and one Champions League trophy.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema - Real Madrid
Between 2009 and 2018, the world of football enjoyed an ever-improving partnership between Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema during their time together at Real Madrid.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo was the undisputed star of the show, and Benzema had no qualms about that. Despite being a natural centre-forward, the Frenchman happily played second fiddle to Ronaldo, routinely making space for the Portuguese to exploit.
Ronaldo, too, returned the favor by looking for the No. 9 whenever an opportunity presented itself.
Both Ronaldo and Benzema moved to Real Madrid in the same summer transfer window in 2009. Their on-field understanding was exemplary and turned heads from their debut season itself.
Before Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018, the duo celebrated two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies amongst others, combining numerous times.
In total, they played 342 games together, setting each other up a staggering 76 times.
#1 Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller - Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich are one of the most flamboyant teams in the world. They build from the back, have excellent ball-carriers in the middle, and up top, they have two excellent forwards taking care of business.
Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller have pretty much been the gold standard of attacking duos over the last decade.
Lewandowski joined Bayern in the summer of 2014 and immediately struck up a partnership with Muller. Their understanding on the pitch has been telepathic right from the get-go and we do not see it changing any time soon.
The Polish-German duo have played 326 matches together since 2014, amounting to over 23000 minutes of football.
In that stretch, they have set each other up a whopping 77 times, winning one Champions League trophy and seven Bundesliga titles together.
