Great soccer duos be it in defence, midfield or attack are without doubt the hardest to come by in soccer, perhaps due to circumstances or challenges in adapting to conditions around them.
In other words, if the words tandems or telepathic are anything to go by in soccer, then the names or duos in this article are arguably the best in the lore of the game considering how brilliant they were.
At the heart of every successful team are players, who are the bedrock of such a team in terms of leadership and everything that has to do with gauging success on the pitch.
The beautiful game of soccer has certainly seen a lot of impeccable duos, but here at Cheapgoals, these are the 10 best soccer duos who entertained the fans with their perfect and delightful partnership.
- 1. Pele & Garrincha – (Brazil)
- 2. Xavi Hernandez & Andres Iniesta – (Barcelona)
- 3. Andy Cole & Dwight Yorke – (Manchester United)
- 4. Alfredo Di Stefano & Ferenc Puskas – (Real Madrid)
- 5. Frank Ribery & Arjen Robben – (Bayern Munich)
- 6. Dennis Bergkamp & Thierry Henry – (Arsenal)
- 7. Rio Ferdinand & Nemanja Vidic – (Manchester United)
- 8. Franco Baresi & Paolo Maldini – (AC Milan)
- 9. Edger Davids & Zinedine Zidane – (Juventus)
- 10. Ian Rush & Kenny Dalglish – (Liverpool)
1. Pele & Garrincha – (Brazil)
Historically, the Brazilian national team are often blessed with quality and talented players, who’ll go on to light up the world with their dazzling skills, and among them is the legendary Pele and Garrincha.
Whenever Pele and Garrincha lead the line for Brazil, you should rest assured that you’ll be entertained as a fan by Garrincha’s nimble and trickery foot and Pele’s eyes for goals.
The duo gave Brazilian sport its historic greatness and two of its five World Cups when both combined to score two goals that won Brazil the 1966 World Cup.
2. Xavi Hernandez & Andres Iniesta – (Barcelona)
Call them one of the greatest soccer duos of all time, you’ll be adjudged right due to their tidiness and neatness on the ball for Spain and Barcelona.
Xavi and Iniesta’s sublines on the ball with impeccable skills even transcend their time together in Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, when playing under Guardiola.
The chemistry and understanding the duo shared on the pitch was beyond exceptional, boasting incredible passing accuracy that gave them both personal and team successes.
3. Andy Cole & Dwight Yorke – (Manchester United)
In the late 90s, particularly 1998-99 when the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson’s formidable team were dominating England and Europe, the duo of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke were the toast of the team.
The two foxes in the box graced the global soccer landscape with their talents in a team that didn’t only entertain the fans with their remarkable skill set.
However, both achieved individual and team successes, gracing the climax of that season with a treble coupled with a scintillating performance.
Initially, if reports were anything to go by, both weren’t the real plan of Fergie’s perfect duo at all, but due to his failure in the pursuit of Patrick Kluivert he opted for the partnership and they went on to give the fans some of the greatest moments perhaps in club’s history.
4. Alfredo Di Stefano & Ferenc Puskas – (Real Madrid)
If you’re talking about two great players whose careers coincided at the same club and era, they’re Di Stefano and Puskas who were born within nine months of each other and also played together at Real Madrid.
The matadors will forever be remembered for opening the floodgate of goals at Hampden Park, Glasgow in 1960 when they emphatically slayed Frankfurt in an era where the coverage of European soccer hadn’t hit its pick.
For those who were fortunate enough to glimpse these two amazing partners graced the global soccer landscape with their remarkable talents, they could probably tell there’s none like them on the faces of the planet.
5. Frank Ribery & Arjen Robben – (Bayern Munich)
Ribery and Robben are arguably the greatest wing partnership to ever grace the beautiful game in the modern era, with scintillating nimbleness and trickery on the ball.
One of the soccer duos’ noteworthy skill sets that won’t be forgotten in a hurry by the fans was how they expressed themselves within close proximity when allowed to.
For these two amazing duo, shackling them to a particular position probably wouldn’t happen, due to how well they understood the game and the ability to exchange positions when needed to terrorize defences.
Together, the duo didn’t only terrorise defences, they both racked up 268 goals and 284 assists between them for Die Roten.
6. Dennis Bergkamp & Thierry Henry – (Arsenal)
According to “Thesefootballtimes”, the duo of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry were term “The Master & The Apprentice“, a perfect phrase that connotes the kind of understanding that transpired between the two.
The Dutch and Frenchmen cannot be mentioned without their names popping up both at the national and club level as legends for their respective nations.
The duo seldom wracked havoc in the Premier League with their sublime telepathic combination in the box, with Bergkamp guiding the young, nimble, and energetic Henry with his wealth of experience and creativity.
Arsene Wenger’s decision to partner both in then Arsenal’s team, will forever stand as the best partnership ever witnessed in the club’s history.
7. Rio Ferdinand & Nemanja Vidic – (Manchester United)
The beautiful game of soccer has seen quite a number of defensive partnerships fail, but in the case of Vidic and Ferdinand, they stood as legends at Old Trafford for how solid they were during their stint at United.
The ruthless partnership of Vidic and Ferdinand came to life in 2006 when the Serb joined United from Spartak Moscow to form a defensive beast with Rio.
The duo were so good at the heart of United’s defence when Edwin van der Sar, went on an impressive 1,103 minutes record without conceding a single goal in Premier League.
Vidic and Ferdinand weren’t only rock-solid defensively, but their tidiness and neatness as a ball-playing defender give credence to how brilliant they were.
8. Franco Baresi & Paolo Maldini – (AC Milan)
The duo of Baresi and Maldini are hardcore one-club players, who depicted to the latter the “Catenaccio” style of Italian soccer with aplomb.
Those born in the early ’80s and late ’90s could attest to the fact that Baresi and Maldini’s partnership at the heart of Milan’s defence was the best to ever play together.
Baresi and Maldini’s partnership didn’t only bring success to the team, they both formed an impeccable understanding that made them the bedrock of Milan’s defence.
The duo were absolutely a joy to watch, considering their tidiness, composure, and neatness on the ball particularly their leadership skills.
If you’re not privy to seeing Baresi and Maldini play, perhaps you should do yourself the honour of seeing some of their highlight clips.
9. Edger Davids & Zinedine Zidane – (Juventus)
The “Pitbull” and “Zizuo” are two great partners who combined dogged determination, dark art, finesse and elegance to their game in conjuring magical moments for the Bianconerri.
Throughout their time together in Turin, the duo played together in an era that was described as the best in Juventus’ history.
The partner in crime absolutely left no stone unturned in Serie A with their consistency, energy and trust for each other on the pitch, which Davids attested to in an interview with “FourFourTwo”.
For emphasis sake, the Old Lady soared domestically in Serie A with the doggedness of Davids, the elegance and finesse of Zidane, and the help of other key figures in the team.
10. Ian Rush & Kenny Dalglish – (Liverpool)
Rush and Dalglish’s partnership will probably be remembered as the finest in the history of Liverpool, considering their tandem understanding off and on the ball.
Anfield fans are often sent into a frenzy mood anytime Rush runs through the left-hand channel of the pitch and level with Dalglish up-top in the attacking third.
The duo wracked a lot of havoc donning the shirt of Liverpool, and one game that comes to mind was the win against AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico where the fans witnessed the pure talents of Rush and Dalglish.
Other Great Soccer Duos That Graced The Beautiful Game
- Ivan Zamorano & Marcelo Salas – (Chile)
- Romario & Bebeto – (Brazil)
- Rivaldo & Ronaldo – (Brazil)
- Alessandro Del Piero & David Trezeguet – (Juventus)
- John Terry & Ricardo Carvalho – (Chelsea)
- Michael Laudrup & Preben Elkjaer – (Denmark)
- Alan Shearer & Chris Sutton – (Blackburn Rovers)
- Emilio Butragueno & Hugo Sanchez – (Real Madrid)
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