Attacking trios with the most goals in Europe's top 5 leagues in 2023/24 | OneFootball

Good things come in threes, right? That notion applies to football, too, with some of the beautiful game’s most formidable sides deploying fearless, three-man attacking units to get the best out of their forwards. Usually comprised of the solitary centre forward and two wide men, it was current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola who helped make attacking trios – during his formative Barcelona days – commonplace throughout football. And now, it's the go-to system.

Many managers have, over the years, tried to plonk three big names next to each other in the hope that goals will exude – but that’s not always the best strategy. Ensuring they work as a hardened, well-rehearsed unit is the safest bet - and one that will, typically, result in goals flying right, left and centre. Think of the likes of Barça's former trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar or Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale of Real Madrid.

And that got us thinking: which current attacking trios in Europe’s top five leagues are the most potent? That’s a question that has been answered by PopFoot as they have crunched the numbers and produced a detailed graphic, breaking down the top 10 trident of forwards that have scored the most goals this season in Europe's top five most prominent divisions. As such, GIVEMESPORT have decided to take a closer look, so let’s jump into it.

1 Alvaro Morata, Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay - Atletico Madrid

Combined goals: 44

Despite being behind the likes of La Liga heavyweights Barcelona, Real Madrid and the unforeseen Girona in the Spanish top tier, longstanding Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has his frontline trio of Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata and Memphis Depay to thank for their moderate position in the table.

Griezmann is arguably in the form of his life, having scored 18 goals in 33 outings, but it is Morata, formerly of Chelsea, who has scored the most goals for Los Colchoneros. Depay also has seven strikes to his name in 2023/24 to take the Spanish side’s overall tally to 44. It just proves, however, that goalscoring does not win you titles.

2 Harry Kane, Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich

Combined goals: 44

A phenomenal tally of 28 goals has been scored by the talismanic Harry Kane this campaign. A reliable source of goals for Tottenham Hotspur, England’s all-time top goalscorer has transferred his free-scoring habits to the Bundesliga for perennial winners Bayern Munich, with him equaling Luca Toni’s record for the best goalscoring domestic season in a Bavaria strip after netting his 24th recently.

Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala have scored nine and seven goals, respectively, in a season when Thomas Tuchel’s side look poised to win another title – as long as they can thwart a high-flying Bayer Leverkusen side. The aforementioned trio’s goals, especially from Kane, will be central to any success they enjoy this season.

3 Lautaro Martinez, Hakan Calhanoglu and Marcus Thuram – Inter Milan

Combined goals: 43

Looking to better their brilliance of reaching the Champions League final last season is Inter Milan – and so far this season, Lautaro Martinez, Hakan Calhanoglu and Marcus Thuram are giving it their best shot with their goalscoring exploits allowing them to lead Serie A at the 22-game mark.

Inter often opt for a two-man strike partnership of Martinez, a potential 2024 Ballon d'Or candidate, and Thuram, who have scored 22 and 10 goals, respectively, while Calhanoglu – arguably the underrated piece of the puzzle – has chalked up an impressive 11 goals this term, typically from a role behind the centre forward duo. If they are to win Serie A, it’ll be largely down to their attacking trio.

4 Kylian Mbappe, Randal Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos - PSG

Combined goals: 42

How long Kylian Mbappe will remain on the Paris Saint-Germain books is uncertain, especially with him reportedly ‘chosen to join’ Real Madrid upon the summer transfer window opening for business - and it’s no surprise Los Blancos are so eager to have him on board with his outrageous goalscoring habits on show, is there?

A Ligue 1 superstar at the time of writing, the 25-year-old Frenchman has been firing on all cylinders since the season got underway and has totted up a mind-blowing 29 goals. His teammates, Randal Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos may not be scoring at the same incredible rate, but they have still found the back of the net on multiple occasions.

5 Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes, Joselu – Real Madrid

Combined goals: 42

Jude Bellingham has hit the ground running since swapping Borussia Dortmund for Santiago Bernabeu’s bright lights in the summer and has hit the 18-goal mark – all from an attacking midfield position. Rodrygo and Joselu have also been in and amongst the goals this term, notching 12 apiece.

The plaudits, for the most part, have gone in the direction of the generational Englishman, however, with him taking to life in Spain like a duck to water. Destined to be a mainstay in the Real Madrid set-up for years to come, Bellingham has set a pathway for youth to emerge as the sport’s brightest stars – and his goalscoring efforts have sprung him into stardom in the process.

6 Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden – Manchester City

Combined goals: 42

Guardiola’s treble-winning side from last time out are further down the list than expected, but that can be attributed to Manchester City's midfield magician, Kevin De Bruyne, being sidelined for a long period via injury.

Erling Haaland was scoring at an unprecedented rate and broke ample records during his inaugural season in England - including the Premier League goal record - and, albeit not at the same pace, has been a goalscoring machine once again. With 19 goals under his belt thus far, picking up the Golden Boot twice on the trot will be on his wishlist, while both Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez do not mind chipping in, either – as showcased by their respective tallies of 10 and 13.

Combined goals: 42

Mohamed Salah does what forwards are paid the big bucks to do: score goals. In fact, the rate in which he has struck since moving to Liverpool has been out of this world and this season is no different. Nicknamed ‘The Egyptian King’, he has been front and centre of Jurgen Klopp’s final season as Reds boss, having scored 18 goals across all competitions.

His two teammates, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez, have also reached the double-figure milestone at the time of writing, with the Portuguese hitting an impressive 13 goals so far this campaign. And despite the discourse over Nunez’s below-par finishing, he has managed to hit the back of the net on 11 occasions this season.

Combined goals: 39

Spearheading one of the most overlooked attacking trios in Europe is Serhou Guirassy – a man whose signature was vied for eternally over the summer transfer window, including from Manchester United. A 12-cap Guinea international, the 27-year-old has struck 19 times this season.

It’s fair to say that the French-born striker has been on red-hot form this season – and that, combined with former Brighton & Hove Albion’s Deniz Undav and Chris Fuhrich’s ability to supply goals in abundance, has not gone under the radar. The former is just five strikes behind Guirassy so far this campaign, while the latter has six goals to his name.

9 Lois Openda, Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons – RB Leipzig

Combined goals: 34

Three of the most exciting young prospects in world football right now, it's RB Leipzig who are lapping up the respective exploits of Lois Openda, Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons at the moment. The German outfit will, however, face trouble keeping the aforementioned trio under wraps when the summer window comes around.

Lois Openda is the side’s chart-topper for goals with him scoring 18 so far this season – double that of his partner in crime, Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenia international is still yet to hit the double-figure mark, while Xavi Simons, hailed as one of the best young players in world football, has totted up seven strikes from midfield.

10 Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey and John McGinn – Aston Villa

Combined goals: 34

A surprise package in this season’s Premier League title race, Unai Emery has had somewhat of a transformative effect on Aston Villa since arriving in October 2022. Not only did they break into European football last time out, but they now found themselves in very unfamiliar territory: hustling and bustling with the division’s best.

That can be attributed to the brilliance of their goalscorers-in-chief, such as Ollie Watkins, one of the best strikers in world football, Leon Bailey and John McGinn. It’s the former that is the mainstay amongst the goals for the Villans with him hitting 16 goals so far, though Bailey and McGinn are not too far behind with the respective hauls of 10 and 8.