Best Football Duos Currently Playing Together

It’s correct to think that there are fewer notable tandems in football nowadays, as the managers are inclined to rotate their players more often. Additionally, the last two seasons saw many teams completely reshape so we lost the best football duos like that of Thomas Muller - Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane - Heung-min Son, and Leonardo Bonucci - Giorgio Chiellini.

Yet there is a new crop of players who have developed telepathy on the pitch and have become the trademarks of their teams. We are looking at the best football duos in 2024 and some of them have had time in their favour, playing together for years. While for some it was an instant hit.

Of course, tandems aren’t just players who play next to each other like centre-backs or the two strikers. If the players are a part of the same lever in the tactics system, they are certainly looked like a tandem. For example, the Robbery duo - Arjan Robben and Franck Ribery, wingers who played on opposite sides.

So looking at the impact on the team, tactical togetherness, compatibility, and goals assisted by each other, here are the best football duos in football right now.

#10 Dusan Tadic and Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia)

It might seem odd that we've included a national team duo in this list as they train together far less frequently. It might be even more peculiar that Serbia has the best duo, yet that is backed with sheer stats. Tadic and Mitrovic are easily 50%, if not more, of the Serbian national team. The two wore the national team shirt together for 75 matches and Mitrogol became the country's best top scorer with Tadic's assist. Precisely, 19 of them, with two going the other way for a combined score of 21 goals.

Their records overall when sharing the field are even more impressive, Tadic scored 14 goals and made 34 assists, while Mitro assisted five goals and scored 50!

#9 Ciro Immobile and Luis Alberto (Lazio)

Lazio's main man is truly the tip of the spear for the team and for him to score 203 goals in 319 games for the club, he had the whole squad working for him. But of his current teammates, no one understands him better than Luis Alberto. The two have played together for 247 games and the central midfielder assisted 16 of Ciro's goals. But the captain was giving, especially for a goal-getter like himself, assisting the Spaniard 10 times. The records they have when on the pitch together are truly a testament to them being one of the best football duos.

Luis Alberto scored 41 goals and assisted 61 goals when playing with Ciro in front, while Ciro bagged 154 goals and 43 assists when Alberto was orchestrating the attack.

#8 Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)

Target men strikers were often unavoidable when discussing best player duos. While that's not all Darwin Nunez is, his 187 cms tall frame allows him to be utilised in such a way. Best paired with a fast and tricky winger. Enter Mo Salah. Who, of course, has had better partnerships than the one with Nunez, notably with Roberto Firmino. Yet it's still an early stage of this one and the Uruguayan is quite younger than his previous co-workers. However, the two already combined for 11 goals, nine of which were scored by the Egyptian. With 59 games played between the two so far.

#7 Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud (Milan)

Combine nearly inexplicable speed with experienced off-the-ball movement and the ability to score in inventive ways, well you have a great football duo. Rafael Leao will use his long stride to not just pass his guardians, but humiliate them, while Olivier Giroud can punish even a centimetre-wrong positioning with a heel, chest, or shoulder. In 91 games played together, in many not sharing many minutes on the pitch, Giroud and Leao combined 16 times, with the Frenchman scoring 12 of the goals, and Leao four.

Their total stats when both on the pitch are immense with Giroud getting 39 goals and 15 assists and Leao 28 goals and the same number of assists!

#6 Victor Osimhen and Kvhicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)

While Victor Osimhen is an easy guy to fully utilize, there's no doubt that he and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were the one-two punch with whom Napoli won the Scudetto. In 49 games the duo has played together, they've combined for 11 goals! The strike scored eight, and returned the favour of assisting to the left-winger three times. Additionally, they make each other lives easier with Khvaradona scoring 15 and assisting 17 in total when Osimhen is on the pitch. While the Nigerian scored 34 and made six assists when the defenders have to think about Khvicha as well.

#5 John Stones and Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

While Pep Guardiola is known for his rotation, especially in the back-line, John Stones and Ruben Dias have played in 70 matches together! More importantly, they've recorded a point-per-game ratio of 2.46! That's even higher than the best football duo we've selected here. A duo quite familiar to City centre-backs. Stones's agility and versatility are perfectly matched with Dias' strength and leadership, covering each other's weaker sides ideally. The two have lost only eight of these 70 games, with only 49 goals conceded!

#4 Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)

While playing together for a long time is an important aspect of the best football duos, it's even more impressive when two players gel together so quickly after just a few matches. No better example than the two Bayer Leverkusen duos. One working side to side, this one - operating on opposite ends of the pitch. Alejandro Grimaldo on the left-back position, and Jeremie Frimpong on the right sideline have played together for only 21 games. Yet they have been key for the success of Xabi Alonso's team.

Each of them has assisted the other a single goal, but their overall impact on the team cannot be overlooked. From the full-back position, the Spaniard has seven goals and six assists, while the Dutch international got the same number of goals, and two assists more! That’s a better statistical return than many top wingers hope for.

#3 Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen)

The other Leverkusen duo which has played together in only 21 games, yet their chemistry is apparent on the pitch. The attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz has assisted four goals to the striker Victor Boniface, and the Nigerian has responded with the same courtesy! Not only that, but the German player has overall eight goals and 10 assists in the match he has played with the newcomer. While the CF bagged 14 goals in matches with Wirtz behind him, adding eight assists too! Both of them are headed for double-digit numbers in both goal involvement brackets.

#2 Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

While they only shared three goals with each other, with Andrew Robertson scoring all and TAA providing the dish, there's no denying that this is a duo that was pivotal for making Liverpool into a contender. Yes, they had Sadio Mane and Mo Salah in front, with Roberto Firmino making the trident, but the full-backs were key for Jurgen Klopp's successes. Despite some recent injury woes, the two have played 234 matches on their respective sides! In those games, the Scotsman scored eight goals and assisted 59, while Trent bagged 13 goals and 63 assists.

#1 Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Truly only a season in because Kevin De Bruyne spent the first half of the 2023/2024 season on the sidelines mostly, yet there is no denying he and Erling Haaland make the best duo in football. The two have played in 45 matches with each other, KDB has served the Norweigan with 13 goals, while Erling returned with two assists back. Furthermore, their points per game in these matches is 2.22. More importantly, they make each other job's easier even without the final direct link, as Haaland scored 44 times and made nine assists with Kevin as his teammate. KDB had 30 assists and seven goals when playing with the tall striker.