What is the Strongest Two-CF Partnership?
As we all know, a player's individual strength is one thing, but how they pair with another forward is a completely different story. For example, very few people would start the #1 and #2 ranked CFs, Mbappé and Rummenigge, together. That's why I've specifically conducted a survey of the pro player group to see which two players they consider to be the best partners up front.
The survey results are organized as follows—
| Player Name | # of times selected as LCF | # of times selected as RCF | Total Selections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gullit | 3 | 9 | 12 |
| Mbappé | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| Dembélé | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Suárez | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Rummenigge | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Šeško | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| C. Ronaldo | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Shevchenko | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ibrahimović | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Note: The players shown in this table are the strongest versions of the Top 10 CFs, including the Liverpool version of Suárez.
Now, let's interpret the survey results—
1️⃣ 74% of the pro players surveyed chose to use a tall aerial pivot!
| Partnership Type | # of Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Two Tall Aerial Pivots | 3 pairings |
| One Tall Aerial Pivot | 11 pairings |
| No Tall Aerial Pivots | 5 pairings |
There were even 3 responses that used two tall aerial pivots: Gullit/Šeško or Gullit/C. Ronaldo (which fits with the 5-2-3 three-CF formation that has recently been popular on the international and Chinese servers).
It seems that even top players with incredible dribbling skill still widely prefer to have a tall aerial pivot up front to receive the ball. Only 5 pairings had no tall aerial pivot. An interesting phenomenon is that among the 26% of players who didn't choose a tall aerial pivot, almost all of them chose Suárez. It seems Suárez's delicate touch combined with his not-so-small model allows him to better fulfill the role of holding up the ball on the ground.
2️⃣ "Quick on the left, tall on the right" is the choice in the vast majority of cases.
This is because most of the meta ground-based CFs are right-footed. Relatively speaking, it's more important to allow the ground-based CF to comfortably handle the ball at their feet, so they are placed at LCF to facilitate receiving the ball. The tall aerial pivot's main role is to win headers and hold up the ball, so their strong foot is less of a concern.
And the most popular partnership is LCF Mbappé, RCF Gullit—
| Rank | LCF | RCF | # of Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|
| No.1 | Mbappé | Gullit | 5 |
| No.2 | Dembélé | Gullit | 4 |
| No.3 | Suárez | Gullit | 2 |
(Of course, the "strongest CF partnership" discussed in this article is in terms of universal applicability and is just one point of reference. The best choice for each individual is the one that suits them best.)
3️⃣ Gullit dominates the list!
In all of the responses that used a tall aerial pivot, Gullit alone accounted for 85% of the selections. In comparison, players like BT Ronaldo, Šeško, and Ibrahimović are simply not as all-around as Gullit. And in the total count that includes ground-based CFs, Gullit was chosen 12 times, making him the most popular CF overall.
This is exactly what I've been saying: discussing individual player strength and discussing player partnerships are sometimes two different things. When you're just evaluating individual strength, more people will think of Mbappé or Rummenigge. However, due to Gullit's significant lead in the tall aerial pivot niche, he has become the forward with the highest usage rate.
4️⃣ The awkward fourth CF: Bale.
Has everyone noticed that almost all of the forwards who appeared in these pairings are from the CF Top 5? But in reverse, there is one Top 3 CF who did not appear a single time in any two-CF partnership—Bale. It's the same old story: individual strength and player partnerships are two different things. Bale's all-around quality is indeed widely recognized, but his ground ability is not as elite as Mbappé's, and his ability as a tall aerial pivot is not outstanding either. This "stuck in the middle" quality has caused him to be overlooked.
Finally, I've posted the detailed selection sheet for each participant at the end of this post for your reference.
So, let me ask you—what is your two-CF partnership?
| ID | Left CF (LCF) | Right CF (RCF) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mbappé | Gullit |
| 2 | Mbappé, Suárez, Shevchenko, Rummenigge, Dembélé | Gullit, Šeško, C. Ronaldo |
| 3 | Mbappé | Dembélé |
| 4 | Dembélé | Gullit |
| 5 | Suárez (Liverpool) | BT Ronaldo (C. Ronaldo) |
| 6 | Gullit | Dembélé |
| 7 | Rummenigge | Suárez |
| 8 | Gullit | Mbappé |
| 9 | Mbappé | Rummenigge |
| 10 | Dembélé | Gullit |
| 11 | Mbappé | Suárez |
| 12 | Suárez | Šeško |
| 13 | Mbappé | Gullit |
| 14 | Rummenigge | Gullit |
| 15 | Mbappé | Gullit |
| 16 | Suárez | Gullit |
| 17 | Dembélé | Šeško |
| 18 | Gullit | Mbappé / Dembélé |
| 19 | Suárez | Gullit |
Posted Mar 8, 2026, 1:15 PM UTC