You'll be hard pushed to find a better attacking duo in world football right now than Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior.
The pair have been lethal together at Real Madrid in 2021/22. They are a key part of the reason why the team finished 13 points clear at the top of the La Liga table and reached the Champions League final.
It's incredible to think that during a match against Borussia Monchengladbach in October of 2020, Benzema told Ferland Mendy not to pass the ball to Vinicius, as the Brazilian was too much of a liability and kept surrendering possession.
How things have changed and in the eyes of many football fans, Benzema and Vinicius are currently the best attacking duo in world football.
The stats certainly back up that opinion as well.
In the entirety of 2021/22, no other forward-thinking pair recorded more goals and assists in league action combined than Benzema and Vinicius.
Let's take a look at the top 20 in that regard...
BILBAO, SPAIN - DECEMBER 22: Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema of Real Madrid look on during the LaLiga Santander match between Athletic Club and Real Madrid CF at San Mames Stadium on December 22, 2021 in Bilbao, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
The 20 deadliest duos in Europe's top five leagues during 2021/22
20. AS Roma, Tammy Abraham & Lorenzo Pellegrini - 35 goal contributions
Abraham (17 goals, 4 assists) | Pellegrini (9 goals, 5 assists)
19. OGC Nice, Andy Delort & Amine Gouiri - 37 goal contributions
Delort (16 goals, 2 assists) | Gouiri (10 goals, 9 assists)
18. Leicester City, Jamie Vardy & James Maddison - 37 goal contributions
Vardy (15 goals, 2 assists) | Maddison (12 goals, 8 assists)
17. Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo & Bruno Fernandes - 37 goal contributions
Ronaldo (18 goals, 3 assists) | Fernandes (10 goals, 6 assists)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 11: Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring their side's third goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United at Old Trafford on September 11, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
16. Manchester City, Kevin De Bruyne & Raheem Sterling - 42 goal contributions
De Bruyne (15 goals, 8 assists) | Sterling (13 goals, 6 assists)
15. Hellas Verona, Giovanni Simeone & Gianluca Caprari - 42 goal contributions
Simeone (17 goals, 6 assists) | Caprari (12 goals, 7 assists)
14. Lyon, Moussa Dembele & Karl Toko Ekambi - 42 goal contributions
Dembele (21 goals, 4 assists) | Toko Ekambi (12 goals, 5 assists)
13. Inter Milan, Lautaro Martinez & Edin Dzeko - 44 goal contributions
Martinez (21 goals, 3 assists) | Dzeko (13 goals, 7 assists)
MILAN, ITALY - MARCH 04: Edin Dzeko of FC Internazionale (R) celebrates with teammate Lautaro Martinez after scoring their team's fifth goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and US Salernitana at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 04, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
12. Rennes, Martin Terrier & Gaetan Laborde - 45 goal contributions
Terrier (21 goals, 4 assists) | Laborde (12 goals, 8 assists)
11. Sassuolo, Gianluca Scamacca & Domenico Berardi - 48 goal contributions
Scamacca (16 goals, 0 assists) | Berardi (15 goals, 17 assists)
10. RB Leipzig, Christopher Nkunku & Andre Silva - 49 goal contributions
Nkunku (19 goals, 15 assists) | Silva (10 goals, 5 assists)
9. AS Monaco, Wissam Ben Yedder & Kevin Volland - 50 goal contributions
Ben Yedder (25 goals, 5 assists) | Volland (9 goals, 11 assists)
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - AS Monaco v Saint-Etienne - Stade Louis II, Monaco - September 22, 2021 AS Monaco's Wissam Ben Yedder celebrates scoring their second goal with Kevin Volland REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
8. Lazio, Ciro Immobile & Sergej Milinkovic-Savic - 52 goal contributions
Immobile (27 goals, 3 assists) | Milinkovic-Savic (11 goals, 11 assists)
7. Bayer Leverkusen, Patrik Schick & Moussa Diaby - 54 goal contributions
Schick (24 goals, 5 assists) | Diaby (13 goals, 12 assists)
6. Borussia Dortmund, Erling Haaland & Marco Reus - 56 goal contributions
Haaland (22 goals, 8 assists) | Reus (9 goals, 17 assists)
5. Liverpool, Mohamed Salah & Sadio Mane - 57 goal contributions
Salah (23 goals, 14 assists) | Mane (16 goals, 4 assists)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool talks with team mate Sadio Mane during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield on October 30, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
4. Tottenham Hotspur, Heung-min Son & Harry Kane - 58 goal contributions
Son (23 goals, 9 assists) | Kane (17 goals, 9 assists)
3. Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski & Serge Gnabry - 59 goal contributions
Lewandowski (35 goals, 4 assists) | Gnabry (14 goals, 6 assists)
2. Paris Saint-Germain, Kylian Mbappe & Neymar - 66 goal contributions
Mbappe (28 goals, 19 assists) | Neymar 13 goals, 6 assists)
- Real Madrid, Karim Benzema & Vinicius Junior - 69 goal contributions
Benzema (27 goals, 12 assists) | Vinicius (17 goals, 13 assists)
MADRID, SPAIN - MAY 04: Karim Benzema (R) of Real Madrid CF celebrates scoring their third goal with teammate Vinicius Junior (L) during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final Leg Two match between Real Madrid and Manchester City at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on May 04, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Benzema and Vinicius finished just ahead of Mbappe and Neymar, while Lewandowski and Gnabry are a fair way behind in third place.
Imagine how lethal Real Madrid would have been in attack next season if they had managed to sign Mbappe on a free transfer from PSG...
Unsurprisingly, Son and Kane are the Premier League's most prolific duo, with English teams taking up five of the 20 spaces on the list.