Football (or soccer to many), the beautiful game, can become a matter of
life & death for some clubs & its supporters. Cultural, as well
as regional, differences contribute to the fierceness of these clashes
& performances of players in such matches decide whether they will
be eternally loved or hated. A mistake or a moment of magic can create
history, but can also result in brawls, fights, clashes & riots.
Here are the 10 most fierce & important rivalries in the world of
football. Have I missed any? Feel free to add your
own.
10
Corinthians vs Palmeiras
Derby Paulista is a name that is known among the traditional São
Paulo soccer clubs, Sport Club Corinthians Paulista and Sociedade
Esportiva Palmeiras. It is the rivalry between two football clubs still
active in the oldest city of São Paulo. The Derby Paulista is among the
10 greatest classics of the world. Corinthians and Palmeiras have
already decided state championships (Campeonato Paulista), regional
(Torneio Rio-São Paulo), national (Campeonato Brasileiro) and wave to
the end of continental competition (Libertadores Cup of America). No
other classic has decided so many major championships.
A big rivalry in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, SE Palmeiras and
Corinthians have always drawn a lot of attention when they face off
against each other. There have been books written and movies shot about
this rivalry, including a version of Romeo and Juliet where Palmeiras
and Corinthians take the place of the Montagues and Capulets.
One of football’s classic derbies, since the late 19th century, the
Uruguayan Clásico is the confrontation between the two greatest teams of
Montevideo: Nacional and Peñarol. Both teams have played a big part in
developing South American football, and are respected in the Americas
and worldwide, despite their recent lack of international success.
Together they make up 8 Copa Libertadores and 6 Intercontinental Cups.
The 0-0 draw of 14 April, 1990, was not for lacking a good fight, 22
red cards, 11 each side, (Nacional-9 field players and 2 bench players).
The match ended at 85′ for the rule of less than 7 players. Then the
1-1 match of 26 November, 2000, ended in another confrontation with
several boxing and karate kicks and chops, in which 9 players had to
spend a month in jail, along with one of the coaches. Two editions of
the match were played abroad, one in La Plata (Argentina) in 1960, the
other in La Coruña (Spain) in 2005, due to the risk of local crowd
interruption & brawling.
8
Fenerbahce vs Galatasaray
Fenerbahçe SK versus Galatasaray SK is a Turkish football rivalry
involving two of the most successful clubs in the Süper Lig. It is also a
local derby, one of many involving Istanbul clubs. The rivalry is more
than a century in existence, and has developed into an intense and often
bitter one, traditionally attracting large attendances. Both clubs
compete against each other for the title of the most successful football
club in Turkey, as well as the greatest Turkish sports club overall.
Their football departments have always been the most attractive among
their fans, but the rivalry also extends into other team sports such as
basketball, volleyball, athletics, rowing. Galatasaray SK is the more
successful of the two, having won 68 official titles compared to
Fenerbahçe SK’s 66 titles. Fenerbahe SK is the most successful in their
head-to-head fixtures, while Galatasaray SK boasts of their achievement
in winning the 2000 UEFA Cup Final and the 2000 UEFA Super Cup, being
the only Turkish side to have won them so far.
7
Internazionale vs Milan (best rival)
Derby della Madonnina, or the Milan Derby as it is sometimes known,
is a football match between the Italian clubs Associazione Calcio Milan
and Football Club Internazionale Milano. It is a hotly contested local
derby and is one of the most followed derbies in the football world.
Along with the Rome and Turin derbies, it is widely considered one of
the major cross-town derbies in the Serie A, so much so that only
selected referees may officiate whenever these teams meet. It is a
biannual fixture in the Italian football league Serie A; however, the
derby has also taken place in the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions
League. It is the only derby in Europe played by two teams which have
been champions of Europe and the world. It is called “Derby della
Madonnina” in honor of one of the main sights of the city of Milan, the
statue of the Virgin Mary on the top of the Duomo, which is usually
called “Madonnina”.
6
Liverpool vs Manchester United
The history between Liverpool and Manchester United is one of the
most significant sporting rivalries in football, sometimes referred to
as the North West derby. Both clubs hail from the North West of England,
they are also the two most successful teams in England, and between
them they have won 115 honors. With Manchester United’s victory in the
Premier League season 2008-09, the two clubs are tied with 18 league
titles in England. Despite Liverpool’s success in England, they have
failed to win the Premier League, since its founding in 1992. Winning
the League Cup in 2010, Manchester United set a new English record of 33
domestic honors – moving one clear of the Merseysiders for the first
time. As well as competing on the football pitch, both teams are also
two of the biggest-earning, and widely-supported, football clubs in the
world. The rivalry has extended to the players as well.
5
Internazionale vs Juventus
The name Derby d’Italia (Italian for “Derby of Italy”) was coined
back in 1967, by the famous Italian sports journalist Gianni Brera, as
the biannual football fixture in Italian football between Internazionale
of Milan and Juventus of Turin. The name was also given to this fixture
as Inter and Juventus were (as in 1967) the two teams with the highest
number of international (the first) and national (the latter) honors.
The matchup between Juventus and Inter is one of the most intense
derby matches in Italy, between two teams not from the same city. The
two teams are also ranked first and second in wins and goals in Serie A
history. The match features two clubs who have never been relegated from
the Serie A (prior to the Calciopoli scandal in which Juventus were
forcefully relegated for their role in it).
4
Boca Juniors vs River Plate
Superclásico is the name used to describe the football match in
Argentina between Buenos Aires rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate. It
derives from the Spanish usage of “clásico” to mean derby, with the
prefix “super” used as the two clubs are the most popular and successful
clubs in Argentine football. Due to their huge fan bases (Boca has 40%
of the Argentine population and River 33%), and remarkable success, the
enmity encompasses a major part of the country’s populace. Known
worldwide for the passion of the fans, the stands of both teams are
loaded with passionate songs (often based on popular Argentine rock band
tunes) against their rivals, fireworks, flags and rolls of paper, and
sometimes end in riots between the most ardent supporters of both sides,
or against the police. Tourists from around the globe come to Argentina
to watch the match, sometimes even with packages that include a ticket
to the Superclásico.
The Superclásico is known worldwide as one of the fiercest and most
important derbies. In April 2004, the English newspaper, The Observer,
put the Superclásico at the top of their list of “50 sporting things you
must do before you die”, saying that “Derby day in Buenos Aires makes
the Old Firm game look like a primary school kick-about.”
One of the biggest and most intense derbies in the world, the Old
Firm derby between Scottish teams Celtic and Rangers, is more than a
football match – it pits religion, politics and opposing social
attitudes against each other. Both clubs play in Glasgow, Scotland, and
the match is one of the oldest derbies in the world, dating back to
1888. The Old Firm derby is also one of the most contested matches in
the world, with over 370 games having been played. The matches are
played at either Ibrox Stadium with 51,000 fans, or Celtic Park in front
of 60,000. In some cases, the match is played at Hampden Park, if the
tie happens to be a Scottish Cup or Scottish League Cup final or
semi-final. Both teams have won many titles, but currently Rangers are
ahead of Celtic with 53 league titles to 42. The most recent Old Firm
ended Celtic 2-1 Rangers.
This rivalry is considered by many to be one of the most fervent in
the world, with amazing atmospheres and loud chanting, it is easy to
understand why it is. Millions tune in to the Old Firm derby across the
globe. Rangers are considered a Protestant club with Unionist and
loyalist supporters, while Celtic are considered a Catholic club with
Republican and Nationalist supporters. It has long had connections with
the political conflict in Northern Ireland, with thousands of fans from
Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland making the trip to Scotland
for these matches. There is even violence in Northern Ireland following
Old Firm games. Indeed, the rivalry between the two clubs is so great
that only five players have ever moved between clubs. In 1980, around
9,000 fans fought an on-pitch battle in the aftermath of Celtic’s 1-0
victory in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden. This remains the worst
invasion onto a football pitch ever reported. The Old Firm rivalry fuels
many assaults and many deaths on Old Firm Derby days; an activist group
that monitors sectarian activity in Glasgow has reported that on Old
Firm weekends, admissions to hospital emergency rooms increase nine fold
over normal levels, and journalist Franklin Foer noted that in the
period from 1996 to 2003, eight deaths in Glasgow were directly linked
to Old Firm matches, and hundreds and thousands of assaults.
The Derby della Capitale (English: Derby of the capital) is the local
football derby in Rome, Italy, between the two major teams of the city,
Lazio and Roma. It is considered to be the fiercest derby in the
country ahead of the other major local derbies, Derby della Madonnina
(Milan derby) and Derby della Mole (Turin derby), and one of the
greatest and hotly contested capital derbies in Europe. The derby has
been historically marked by massive crowds, excitement, violence and –
recently – racist banners in the crowd.
Some extreme incidents in particular have left their mark on the
history of this fixture. In 1979, Lazio fan Vincenzo Paparelli was hit
in the eye and killed by a flare fired by a Roma fan from the opposite
end of the stadium, becoming the first fatality in Italian football due
to violence. In 2004 an unprecedented event occurred when the Roma
ultras forced the game to be suspended after spreading false rumors
among the crowd that a child had been killed by the police prior to the
beginning of the game. In the recent derby, in December 2009, the
referee stopped play for some seven minutes, just 13 minutes into the
first half, due to fireworks being thrown onto the pitch. The derby on
March 21, 2004, was abandoned four minutes into the second half, with
the score tied at 0–0, when a riot broke out in the stands and the
president of the Italian Football League, Adriano Galliani, ordered
referee Roberto Rosetti to suspend the match. After the match was
postponed a prolonged battle among fans and between fans and police
ensued, with stands being set on fire and people fleeing the stadium,
eventually resulting in over 13 arrests and over 170 injured among the
police alone.
1
Real Madrid vs Barca (best rival)
The rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, in Spain, is
generally considered to be the biggest in football, and is similar in
context to Celtic – Rangers. From the start the clubs were seen as
representatives of two rival regions in Spain, Catalonia and Castile
respectively, as well as the two cities themselves. In the 1950s, the
rivalry was intensified further when the clubs disputed the signing of
Alfredo Di Stéfano, who finally played for Real Madrid and was key in
the subsequent success achieved by the club.
As Barcelona and Real Madrid are the two biggest, and most
successful, clubs in Spain, the rivalry impacts the league championship
on an almost annual basis. The flash-points of this rivalry are the
twice-a-season clásicos, which draw vast audiences from around the
world. Real has won more La Liga and Champions League titles than Barça,
but Barça has won more Spanish Cups, Cup Winners Cups and UEFA Cups.
Also Barça became the first Spanish team to win the treble (2008–2009).
In 2009, they won six competitions, becoming the first team to win all
competitions they entered in a calendar year. The rivalry has also been
strengthened throughout time by Real Madrid and Barcelona top players
who have defected to their arch-rival. Notable Barcelona players who
have later played for Real Madrid include Bernd Schuster (1988), Michael
Laudrup (1994) and Luís Figo (2000). Luis Enrique switched from Real
Madrid to Barcelona in 1996 and went on to captain the Blaugrana.
A 2007 survey by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas
determined that Real Madrid was the team with the largest following in
Spain with 32.8% of football fans, while Barcelona had 25.7%. The next
team, Valencia CF, was 5.3%. Barcelona in turn seems to be the most
popular team in Europe. According to a survey made by SPORT+MARKT in
2009, Barcelona have about 44.2 million supporters throughout Europe,
which is about 2.9 million more than the number of Real Madrid
supporters.