Greatest Football Rivalries

Last night was the Derby d’ Italia between Inter Milan and Juventus. Though there is so much emotion attached to this rivalry, this derby is not the greatest rivalries of world football. Let’s have a look at some of the great football rivalries, rivalries which are much more than just a football match, they signify clash of cultures, ideologies and beliefs.

Real Madrid v/s Barcelona (The El Clasico)
When you talk about great rivalries in sports, nothing gets bigger than the El Clasico. "El Clasico" never fails to live up to its name. "El Clasico." Those words alone bring forth tons of memories for the premier club rivalry in world football.From Luis Figo and the pig’s head incident after he defected from Barcelona to Real Madrid to the controversial Alfredo Di Stefano deal and the Argentinian great going on to dominate for the whites, this rivalry grabs the attention of the world. Throughout the years the fixture has brought together the planets finest footballers – Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Cruyff, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi – in two of the world’s most formidable stadiums. The rivalry between Los Merengues (Madrid) and the Blaugrana (Barcelona) transcends a mere competition between the two biggest and the most powerful clubs in world football. Barcelona-Real Madrid is a metaphor for competing cultures. It pits the capital of Spain against the capital of Catalonia, a fiercely independent region in the north-west of the country. Barcelona are proud representatives of Catalonia throughout the world, whereas Real are viewed as a team that best represents Spanish nationalism. This rivalry signifies a clash of political movements and in today’s world has evolved into a clash of footballing ideologies.

Brazil v/s Argentina
The bad blood between these South American giants dates back to territorial disputes they inherited from their colonial powers (Spain and Portugal). Besides the perennial debate over whether Diego Maradona or Pele was the greatest player ever – that gets hard core fans on each side amped up – there’s a long record of heated contests. Brazil has five World Cups to Argentina’s two. Big highlights include the so-called 1946 Incident, when police had to intervene to break up a fight on field between Brazilian and Argentine players, and the 1990 “holy water” scandal at the World Cup when a Brazilian player accused Argentina’s trainers of giving him bottled water with a harmful substance in it. And there’s clearly much more than soccer here: Argentina may have South America’s highest GDP-per-capita, but its foe gets the entire buzz for being the “B” in “BRICS Economies.”

River Plate v/s Boca Juniors (Superclasico)
Superclasico is the name used to describe the football match in Argentina between Buenos Aires rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate, 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 Superclasico.

Fenerbahce v/s Galatasaray (The Intercontinental Derby)
The Intercontinental Derby, which is played between Fenerbahce SK and Galatasaray SK, is arguably the most important one in the Eastern part of Europe. The unique aspect of this rivalry is that it is one between two teams from different continents yet the same city. That in itself represents the essence of Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey as well as the heart of its civilization. The derby was first contested in 1909, yet the rivalry did not really heat up until 1934, when several riots began in what was supposed to be a simple, friendly match between both teams. The riots even got to the players themselves, who fought amongst each other, forcing the referees to stop the match. Despite not having enjoyed much international success, both Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are the two most successful clubs in the history of Turkish football. Fenerbahce boasts a total of 18 Superlig titles, while Galatasaray holds 19. The difference between the two, however, is that while Fenerbahce has never won an international trophy, Galatasaray holds two, a UEFA Europa League as well as an UEFA Super Cup.

Celtic v/s Rangers (The Old Firm Derby)
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 religious undercurrent to the Old Firm derby makes it unlike in any other fixture in the world. Away from the obvious antipathy that exists between two dominant clubs in the same city, there is a long and passionate rivalry that goes beyond the confines of the stadium. Celtic are the Catholic club with routes entrenched in Ireland while the Protestant faction of the city are linked strongly with Rangers. However with the demotion of Rangers to the third tier of the Scottish League due to their bankruptcy, the rivalry has stemmed down and will resume only after Rangers reaches their true level again.

Other notable mentions are Lazio v/s AS Roma, Partizan Belgrade v/s Red Star Belgrade, Manchester United v/s Liverpool, AC Milan v/s Inter Milan, Corinthians v/s Palmeiras, Germany v/s Netherlands, Algeria v/s Egypt, Croatia v/s Serbia.