Famous Football Derbies & Rivalries in the World

02 Nov 2018 — 6 min read

#football

Football is one of the most popular sports and fans can get extremely excited especially on the derby matches against their biggest rivals. Some rivalries can date back more than a century. Their atmosphere is maintained thanks to fans, players and managers who pass it on from one generation to another. Let’s take a look at some of the fiercest rivalries around the world

El Clasico

1. El Clásico

El Clásico is probably the most famous and most exciting derby in football world. Fight between two largest cities in Spain and the spanish superclubs Real Madrid and Barcelona is one of the oldest rivalries. Besides football and sport rivalry, there has always been the political importance of the derby between the capital city and the Catalonia metropole. Millions of fans watched El Clásico in recent decades thanks to some of the world’s best players including Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar. More than two hundred games have been played with very even statistics for both clubs. The highest scoring match was Real 11 - Barcelona 1 in 1943.

2. Derby della Madonnina (Milan Derby)

The Milan derby is considered the most prestigious derby in Italy. Matches between city rivals AC and Inter are played in the San Siro stadium. With more than 2 hundred matches, the derby is often regarded more as a fight than a game of football. Even though the competition in the Serie A has increased considerably in recent decades, Derby Della Madonnina is still one of the highlights of the season.

3. The Manchester Derby

Dwarfed for a long time by another north west rivalry of Manchester United vs Liverpool, the Manchester derby has increased in significance dramatically, since Abu Dhabi’s involvement in the blue half of the city. . Although the red devils enjoy better overall statistics historically, the citizens’ unprecedented improvement ensured that the tables have turned in Manchester.

The Old Firm Derby

4. The Old Firm Derby

If there is one derby, which you should only really attend oat your own risk, it is the Old Firm derby in Glasgow. The rivalry of the 2 most successful Scottish clubs Rangers and Celtic has been fueled by more than 4 hundred matches. Violence, pitch invasions, fights and even several deaths mark the contests between these Scottish rivals.

5. Derby d'Italia

The derby d'Italia between 2 Italian giants, Inter Milan and Juventus is very difficult to predict while it is a matter of honour and club prestige, that motivates the players to fight like lions. As in most of the rivalries, it is often influenced by the politics and the underlying rivalry of the cities of Torino and Milan. Juventus leads the historical statistics with the majority of wins. he highest scoring match goes also in their favor when they beat Milan 9 : 1 in 1961.

6. Der Klassiker

Germany are one of the football giants with 4 world and 3 European Championship titles to their name. It is therefore natural, that the derby between the best German clubs makes for an outstanding football event and generates record attendances. Der Klassiker is played between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The Bavarian club leads the statistics sovereignly with the majority of wins and highest scoring match 11-1 in 1971. With only a hundred games played it can be considered one of the younger derbies, but is still one that attracts masses nonetheless, mainly a testament to the great football played by both teams.

7. The North London Derby

The fight for The North London is played between Arsenal and Tottenham. Usually considered one of the most fiercest and most offensive football rivalries in English football. Arsenal leads the historical statistics comfortably.

8. El Derbi Madrileño (Madrid Derby)

Derby in the capital city of Spain is especially in recent years one of the best matches in Europe. The Madrid derby between Real and Atlético also has its political flavor, with the citizens labeled the rebels against the “royals” . Real leads the historical statistics very comfortably and it would probably take decades for Atletico to catch-up and step out of the shadow of Madrid and Barcelona in Spanish La Liga.

9. The North West Derby

Regarded as one of the greatest rivalries in English football, the North West derby is one of the most passionate events one can see. Played out between the arch rivals Manchester United and Liverpool, this game sees the 2 most successful clubs in England fight it out with each other to stake their claim to be crowned the best club in English football. The two clubs have won 121 trophies between them with Manchester United having the edge due to their recent domination. This game has seen a lot of highlights with many players having publicly voiced their hatred towards their opponents to fuel the rivalry. From last gasp winners to verbal abuses and brawls, this fixture has seen it all and is the perfect representation of what English football is all about.

10. The Merseyside Derby

The Merseyside Derby boasts the highest number of matches in the history of English football. This rivalry is one of the fiercest in the country, as indicated by the record number of red cards this fixture has seen. This game always provides onlookers with moments of brilliance as well as madness. Initially stated as a friendly derby due to both clubs coming from the same city, this match has escalated to a whole new level since the inception of the Premier League. Both teams look to become the pride of Liverpool at the expense of their rivals. It is one of the most explosive and physical matches on the planet.