Ranked: The top 10 front lines in international football

This international break has provided us with plenty of thrills and spills, and a lot of goals.

There are some impressive front lines across the international game right now; notably England as their front three of Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling helped them dominate Croatia and secure UEFA Nations League qualification. England’s success got us thinking, what are the best front lines in the international game? So we had a look and came up with a list!

10. Italy
Federico Chiesa, Lorenzo Insigne, Ciro Immobile

Italy have been in the international wilderness for the past couple of years, but if they are to make a resurgence it will likely be off the back of their vibrant attack. Ciro Immobile leads the way of course but Chiesa is the son of a legendary and Insigne a pint-sized phenom. The three have scored 60 goals between them in Serie A since the start of last season – that they’ve only notched twice for Italy in the same period is why they’re here in 10th. There’s huge potential to grow.

9. Argentina
Paulo Dybala, Angel Correa, Mauro Icardi

As usual, Argentina have no issue putting out a side with an incredible attacking force. And that’s despite leaving Leo Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria out of the picture. This trio is very potent at club level (68 league goals since 2017/18) but haven’t yet made it happen for Argentina (none of them have an international goal). The potential here is enormous, however.

8. Portugal
Bernardo Silva, Bruma, André Silva

Cristiano Ronaldo is still Portugal’s star man but due to the ongoing legal case being brought against him, Portugal have decided to not call him up rather than trying to deal with the headaches he’d bring. In his wake, a new generation of Portuguese talent is taking over. The Silvas (creator Bernardo and scorer André) offer new hope to their country, and with Bruma to help round out the trio this attack could make Portugal a genuine threat when they have the ball at their feet.

7. Netherlands
Ryan Babel, Steven Bergwijn, Memphis Depay

It’s tempting to say that the Netherlands are the Memphis show now, but the others play a huge part. Steven Bergwijn offers the kind of pace and thrust that the Dutch haven’t had out there for years, and Ryan Babel is finding a new lease of life as a run-and-gunner. Memphis remains the star attraction, however, scoring 8 goals for the Dutch since the start of 2017/18 (this trio has 11 altogether).

6. Spain
Isco, Rodrigo, Iago Aspas

Spain still haven’t really replaced David Villa, and their forward line has become somewhat misshapen in recent years. They’re still plenty dangerous, however, with Rodrigo and Aspas playing “above” their reputation by slotting their direct skill-sets at the head of Spain’s midfield machine. Meanwhile Isco adds the stardust, even if he does turn the ball over with staggering regularity.

5. Croatia
Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, Ante Rebic

Croatia had to deal with the loss of Mario Mandzukic to international retirement but they’ve absorbed that loss and kept on ticking thanks in part to Andrej Kramaric picking up Mandzukic’s habit of scoring in big games. With Perisic a constant menace out wide and Rebic threatening goal from all angles, Croatia’s attacking trio is seriously hard to handle and their 14 international goals since the start of last season shows exactly how dangerous these unheralded players can be when put together.

4. Brazil
Neymar, Douglas Costa, Roberto Firmino

When the second best player in the world is part of your forward line, you’re always going to be serious business. Brazil build their side around Neymar’s genius and it make them fly. Roberto Firmino has taken over the striking duties from Gabriel Jesus whilst Douglas Costa provides the pacey, end-product heavy counterweight to Neymar’s creative playmaking. It’s a superb trio that balances each other.

3. France
Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud

These guys won the World Cup, so in many ways everything else is irrelevant. But in a very specific way, this trio of forwards is so unique and talented that even a misfiring Olivier Giroud up-front (who routinely looks like a square peg in an Ousmane Dembélé shaped hole) can’t overlook the fact that this is a great attack.

Antoine Griezmann is as well balanced and all-around a forward that exists who isn’t named Messi or Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé is the heir apparent to all things football. 25 goals since the start of last season is superb, and if Giroud wasn’t such a spluttering donkey they’d probably be top. But he is, so they’re third instead.

2. England
Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane

England’s front three is new (they never all played together at the World Cup) but has so much potential and promise in it. This is a perfectly balanced attack, with Kane as the striker who can both score and create in equal measure, Sterling as the tricky dribbler who can score and create, and Rashford as the pacey forward making runs in behind from where he can score and create. These three lions roar loudly at the head of Gareth Southgate’s England.

1. Belgium
Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, Romelu Lukaku

As harmonious as England’s attack is, and as successful as France’s attack is, when it comes to sheer talent you simply cannot deny the one-two punch of Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard when complemented by the genius of Dries Mertens.

All three of these men can score, all three can pass perceptively and cross too. Lukaku is a towering presence in the air whilst Hazard and Mertens are dazzling dribblers. Their movements are complimentary, their abilities in sync. They have scored 32 goals for Belgium since the start of 2017/18 and are pretty perfect together.

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