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WATCH: The greatest magic trios which pre-date Messi-Suarez-Neymar

How lucky we are to live in an era when Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are all playing toge...



WATCH: The greatest magic trio...
Soccer

WATCH: The greatest magic trios which pre-date Messi-Suarez-Neymar

How lucky we are to live in an era when Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are all playing together at their peaks and dovetailing beautifully for Barcelona.

While front twos often capture the imagination, a magic trio up front also casts a spell of its own.

Messi, Suarez and Neymar might just be the best we've ever seen if they can keep their current form up for another couple of years, but football has seen many historic front threes.

Di Stefano, Puskas and Gento

When Real Madrid ruled the world in the late 1950s, the Argentinian Alfredo Di Stefano, Hungary legend Ferenc Puskas and Spaniard Francicso Gento were the stars.

The peak came in the 1960 European Cup final where Puskas scored four times and Di Stefano added a hat-trick in the a legendary 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, which Gento also started.

Puskas scored 12 European Cup goals en route to the final, while Di Stefano added eight and Gento scored two in his highest scoring season which saw him net 18 times in all competitions.

Best, Law and Charlton

Best was on the wing in the iconic No 7 shirt, Law was the poacher extraordinaire and Charlton the goal-machine from midfield, so technically they weren't a front three.

But that trio of Northern Irish, Scottish and English internationals were three of the greatest players of the 1960s, leading Manchester United all the way to European glory in 1968. 

Law missed the final against Benfica but the latter two scored in the 4-1 extra-time win.

Maradona, Giordano and Careca

Known as Ma-Gi-Ca, this trio were fundamental to Napoli's Serie A success during the mid-to-late 1980s, with the 1987-88 season seeing Maradona and Careca finishing No 1 and No 2 in the Italian league scoring charts with the Argentine scoring 15 and the Brazilian striker netting 13.

Giordano, who won 13 caps for Italy, was top scorer in the previous season's Coppa Italia triumph with 10 goals.

Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldhinho

The last time Brazil won the World Cup in 2002, full-backs Cafu and Roberto Carlos proved instrumental.

But the headlines went to their otherwordly front three of Golden Boot winner Ronaldo, who scored eight times including the double in the final against Germany, six-goal Rivaldo and a Ronaldinho who had not yet reached his peak but still scored against China, lobbed David Seaman against England and set up Rivaldo in that game.

Messi, Henry and Eto'o

Messi might be part of the current world's best front three, but even back in 2009 when Barcelona first won the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey and World Club Cup under Pep Guardiola, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o were equally as crucial.

They shared 100 goals between them in all competitions during 2008-09 with Messi grabbing 38, Eto'o getting 36 and Henry adding 26.

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