During its rich and long history, soccer has seen a lot of rivalries develop between clubs. And no other match is given as much importance as the derby. These are matches where the pride of the club and fans are at stake.
From El Clásico to Soweto Derby - here's a look at some of the most prestigious derbies in the world:
El Clásico Derby
Matches Played: 270
Barcelona Wins: 112
Draw: 59
Real Madrid Wins: 99
With over 100 years of tradition, the
El Clásico is without question the most storied and well-known soccer rivalry in the world. This famous matchup sees Spanish clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid compete in one of the world’s most viewed annual sporting events. Although the rivalry between these two teams is fierce, the matchup has been known to produce huge winning margins. The largest saw Real Madrid beat Barcelona by 10 goals with a woeful scoreline of 11 to 1 in June 1943. The largest winning margin in recent history saw Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5 goals to 0 in November 2010.
In addition to being one of the biggest club soccer rivalries in the world, the El Clásico is also home to one of a clash between the arguably two of the greatest footballers of all time, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair shares a staggering 10 FIFA Ballon d'Or with each winning a record-tying five each. When it comes to scoring goals in the El Clásico though, Messi is the king. The diminutive Argentinian striker has scored 25 goals in El Clásico games, the most in the rivalry’s history. Comparatively, Ronaldo, in third has only scored 17.
North London Derby
Matches Played: 195
Arsenal Wins: 81
Draw: 51
Tottenham Wins: 63
As two of the five clubs who helped create the modern
Premier League, Arsenal and Tottenham have been party to some of English soccer’s most notable events. The teams first competed in 1887. However, it wasn’t until 1913 when Arsenal moved to their new north London ground that the rivalry began. Since then, the teams have faced each other 177 times with Arsenal currently leading Tottenham by more than 15 wins. The matchup’s largest winning margin came in November 2012 when Arsenal won 5-2.
The North London Derby’s top goal scorer is Emmanuel Adebayor. The Togolese striker is unique in that he has represented both Arsenal and Tottenham scoring eight goals in North London Derby matches. Harry Kane and Robert Pirès tie for second with seven goals while Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie, and Gareth Bale tie for fourth with five goals.
Derby della Madonnina
Matches Played: 220
Inter Wins: 78
Draw: 66
Milan Wins: 76
The
Derby della Madonnina is the rivalry between Milanese giants Internazionale (Inter) and Milan. The name is derived from one of the city’s landmarks, the Duomo Cathedral which is a dedication to the Virgin Mary. The teams first met on 10 January 1909 with Milan beating out Inter 3-2.
The Milan derby is often seen as much more than a matchup between Milan’s two largest clubs, with many seeing it as a class clash. Inter are considered to represent the city’s bourgeoisie, while Milan is seen as a symbol of the blue-collar working class. The rivalry is, as a result, a microcosm into the daily frustrations of the Milanese resident.
The Derby della Madonnina’s top all-time goal scorer is Andriy Shevchenko. The Ukrainian striker represented Milan with over 208 appearance scoring 127 goals, 14 of which were scored in Milan Derby matches. Giuseppe Meazza is the next most prolific Derby della Madonnina goal scorer with 13 goals. Meazza represented both Inter and Milan in derby matches from 1927 to 1942.
Old Firm Derby
Matches Played: 411
Rangers Wins: 159
Draw: 99
Celtic Wins: 153
The
Old Firm Derby is one of the oldest in the world. The matchup has shaped political, social and religious divisions in Scotland and is estimated to be worth approximately £120 million to the Scottish economy. Needless to say, the Rangers Celtic rivalry has, in many ways, transcended the game becoming a cultural phenomenon in its own right.
The first meeting between the two sides occurred on 28 May 1888 when Celtic beat Rangers 5-2 in a friendly. Since then, the sides have become titans of the Scottish Premiership winning over 100 league titles between them. Aberdeen, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian are the next three most successful Scottish Premiership clubs managing just 12 championships in total.
The rivalry’s top goal scorer is Ally McCoist who represented Rangers from 1983 to 1998 appearing 416 times and scoring 251 goals for the club. McCoist is credited with scoring 27 Old Firm Derby goals in 55 appearances. Prior to McCoist breaking the record, R.C. Hamilton’s all-time Old Firm derby goalscoring record has stood for over 80 years. The Ranger’s player represented the club between 1897 and 1906 scoring 24 goals in 46 matches.
Soweto Derby
Matches Played: 65
Kaizer Chiefs Wins: 36
Draw: 22
Orlando Pirates Wins: 20
The
Soweto Derby is one of the largest soccer rivalries in Africa with Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates first going head to head in January 1970. Matchups between the two teams have included not just during the regular Premier Soccer League season but also the Nedbank Cup, the Telkom Cup, and the MTN 8.
The contests between the two teams are fierce with many of the 65 matchups ending in a 0-0, 1-0 or 0-1 goal line. The largest scoreline ever recorded was in 1996 Bob Save Super Bowl (now the Nedbank Cup) semifinal that resulted in 4-1 win for Orlando Pirates.
The rivalry has, in recent years been played at the 94,000-seat FNB Stadium that was built for the 2010
World Cup. The stadium is the largest in Africa and the third largest soccer stadium in the world behind the Camp Nou and North Korea’s Rungrado May Day Stadium.
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