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It’s easy to think that great strike partnerships are a thing of the past. You had Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas for Real Madrid in the 1960s; Pele and Tostao lit up the 1970 World Cup with Brazil; Liverpool legends Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush were prolific in the 1980s; and in the 1990s, Arsenal’s Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry were untouchable.
But what about today? In 2022, you won’t find many “big man-little man” striker duos. Teams often rely on a single striker with help from the midfielders, or a trio of assiduous strikers who each track as willingly as they shoot. That said, the prolific forward two still has its place in soccer. In this article, we rank our top 4 FIFA 22 should rate these striking duos for their sizzling chemistry.
FIFA 22 RANKINGS - STRIKING DUO #1: Son Heung-min and Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Scientists probably can’t prove that Son Heung-min and Harry Kane share a telepathic connection, so we’ll have to rely on statistics instead. In 2021-22, they surpassed Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba’s Premier League record for goal and assist combinations (36). In other words, the duo is now the most deadly in the history of the EPL. In the previous season, they combined for 14 goals – a record for any partnership in a single campaign.
Son Heung-min’s pace, guile, intelligent movement and ability to finish with either foot at all sorts of distances make him a complete player. Paired with Kane whose vision, passing ability and holding game are just as impressive as his icy accurate shooting, and Spurs’ front two are unplayable at times. But almost impressive as the sum of the parts is the individual qualities of each player.
Harry Kane probably didn’t have his best season in a Spurs jersey in 2021-22. But he still scored 17 goals and provided 9 assists and that tells you all you need to know about the class he possesses. The England captain is on track to break all sorts of goal records at club and international level. His away goal total (95 in 139 games) is already better than any other player in Premier League history; for context. Wayne Rooney previously held the record with 94 in 243 appearances.
Son Heung-min, meanwhile, was voted player of the season by Spurs fans. This is the third time he has won the award in the last four campaigns, which tells you how much the N17 faithful appreciate him (Harry Kane has only won the award twice). He also finished joint top scorer in the Premier League with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah. Both scored 23 goals, although – as has often been pointed out – Salah’s total was boosted by penalty kicks, while Son leaves the kick to Kane.
What may scare Tottenham’s opponents is that the duo now have a supporting act in the form of Dejan Kulusevski, who impressed after signing with Juventus in January. Once upon a time, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola called Spurs “Harry Kane’s team”. Now they are a triple threat.
FIFA 22 RANKINGS - STRIKING DUO #2: Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
The pair can count on trophies to confirm the strength of their partnership. Elder statesman Karim Benzema and his exciting young sidekick Vinicius Jr sent Real Madrid back to a record 14th UEFA Champions League title and La Liga trophy in 2021-22, scoring an astonishing 63 goals between them in the two competitions.
Karim Benzema, who is widely tipped to lift this year’s Ballon d’Or, has defied his 34th birthday with a hot streak that is arguably the best of his career. His 15 goals in 12 Champions League appearances will go down in legend, especially since 10 of those strikes led to major victories; first against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, then Chelsea in the quarterfinals, followed by Manchester City in the semifinals.
Although Vinicius Jr’s UCL goal total was a more modest 4, he scored the most important winner in the final against Liverpool. And his offensive work was a huge contributing factor to Karim Benzema’s incredible 44 goal total of the season; no player in any of the top 5 European leagues has executed as many chance-creating balls as the Brazilian’s 37. Expect more of that in 2022-23.
FIFA 22 RANKINGS - STRIKING DUO #3: Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
Okay, so this stellar duo may not have reached the stratospheric levels we expected when Lionel Messi moved to Paris from Barcelona, but seeing them together on the same team sheet is probably enough to make defenders feel a little uncomfortable.
As Kylian Mbappe said after the pair scored 2 goals each in a routine UEFA Champions League win over Club Brugge, “It’s easy to play with Messi.” The statistics confirm this. The Argentine recorded 14 assists in Ligue 1 for PSG last season, with Kylian Mbappe benefiting from 7 of them. Clearly, the combination of Messi’s otherworldly ball control and Mbappe’s blistering pace is too much for most defenders to handle.
Between them, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi have scored 45 club goals in 2021-22, with the Frenchman scoring 34. By his insanely high standards, Messi’s 11 is a poor return – this is actually his third-lowest season as a professional footballer. PSG’s opponents may be worried. Because if this is Messi off color, what will he look like if he is fit?
FIFA 22 RANKINGS - STRIKING DUO #4: Bryan Mbuemo and Ivan Toney (Brentford)
Brentford’s top two may not have quite the same level of prestige as the other names on our list. But when it comes to strike partnerships, it’s hard to deny that they are impressive. During the Bees’ run to the league in 2020-21, their interaction was a constant thorn in the side of the opposition. Ivan Toney’s aerial prowess, ability to hold the ball and incisive passing skills complimented Mbeumo’s relentless running and guile. Their combined total of 44 goals and 20 assists won many plaudits – and propelled the west London club into the top flight.
In 2021-22, Bryan Mbuemo and Ivan Toney scored 16 goals and recorded 12 assists between them. That’s a decent return for a pair with virtually no Premier League experience (Ivan Toney scored 10 minutes in 2 substitute games for Newcastle in 2015). Now that they’ve found their feet, the rest of the Premier League has only to watch out.
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