Football’s derbies are unmatched in other sports. Whether it’s Britain’s biggest derby or a less high-profile duel, rivalries in football are what makes the sport what it is, they are a major factor in its popularity.
Derbies are the fabric of the game. They are the matches that fans and players look out for when the fixtures are released, and often they have on-field significance too.
While the reward of bragging rights is nice, it’s the matches that are meaningful that have that extra bite to them. A derby with serious title race implications or that could see one of team relegated is obviously more significant.
Derby day, although sometimes oversold by media companies, means more to the fans. It divides families, friends and can make a player a hero.
A winning goal in the derby can write a player’s name into club folklore, and away from cup finals, few other matches present that sort of opportunity to the players.
Derby Della Capitale
There are some immense derbies in Italy, but the Derby della Capitale between Lazio and Roma is top of the tree.
The rivalry began with the creation of AS Roma. The club was a result of a merger of three teams, but Lazio resisted the move, immediately causing tension in the city.
As with many footballing rivalries, there was a class divide between the two teams, and that still pops up in the animosity. Roma were the club of the working class, Lazio were initially based in the upper-class area of Parioli.
From a football perspective, the two Rome-based clubs are fighting to represent the city in Italian football against the northern superpowers of Inter, Milan and Juventus.
It often becomes more than football, however. Fascist banners and symbols have been seen frequently, and racist abuse is common.
Roma have the edge over Lazio with 65 official wins to 46, and the clubs have combined for just five Scudetti. Football odds seldom make them more than outsiders for Serie A glory.
Superclasico
Boca Juniors and River Plate are supported by around 70% of Argentine football fans. The Superclasico is frequently listed as the greatest derby in world football – it’s very hard to argue with that.
The two clubs originated in the working class area of Buenos Aries. River left La Boca for a more affluent area of the city, and became known as The Millionaires, while Boca became thought of as the club of the working classes. The rivalry grew from that base.
Although the rivalry is over a century old, it has grown to a new level since the start of the 2000s.
Boca knocked River out of the Copa Libertadores – one of the most prestigious trophies in world football – in 2000 and 2004 and enjoyed a period of dominance. River were relegated in 2011, but fought back to win trophies throughout the 2010s.
The two teams met in the 2018 Libertadores final, fan trouble saw a match suspended. It was controversially moved to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.
River lifted the trophy and the events saw the Superclasico get unprecedented mainstream attention in Europe.
Old Firm
You have to rewind to 1984/85 to find the last non-Old-Firm team to win the Scottish league title.
Celtic’s current run of eight in a row has put them just four behind Rangers, who have had to climb back up the leagues after financial trouble saw them demoted.
It isn’t just about the titles and the fierce clashes every few months. The Old Firm is greater than that.
Religion, Northern Ireland and political leaning are all engrained in the rivalry, they are the bedrock of the great matches that are watched worldwide.
The lines that used to divide the fan bases are no longer as relevant, but unfortunately violent incidents still occur as a result of sectarianism.
The respective records are hard to split, with Rangers winning 162 and Celtic 159 of their 420 meetings. Players like Brian Laudrup and Henrik Larsson, who played in Clasicos and Milan derbies, have said the Old Firm is the best they’ve played in.
Eternal Derby
The rivalry between Partizan and Red Star might be the fiercest in world football.
The Eternal derby pits Belgrade’s two biggest clubs against one another – they combined for 30 Yugoslav League titles and won the First League of Serbia and Montenegro 13 times between them.
All 13 of the Serbia SuperLiga seasons have ended with Red Star or Partizan lifting the trophy, and only two of those campaigns have seen either team finish outside the top two.
There’s a record attendance north of 100,000 for the fixture, and it is thought that around 50% of Serbians support Red Star.
The respective fan groups – the Delije and Grobari – prepare pyrotechnic displays and vast banners for each match. Red Star’s Delije occupy the north stand at both home and away derbies, and the Grobari are in the south stands.
Transfers between the clubs are incredibly rare with only one taking place since 1990. Red Star have the advantage over Partizan, with 64 derby wins to 47.
Intercontinental Derby
Called the intercontinental derby or the Eternal Rivalry, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray might both be from Istanbul, but they are based in different parts of the city. Fenerbahce are in the Asian area of the Turkish metropolis, Galatasaray are in the European part.
Since the beginning of the Super Lig era in 1959, there have only been five different champions of Turkey.
Galatasaray and Fenerbahce combined for 41 of those league titles with Gala winning the league in each of the last two seasons to take their tally to 22.
Even the best football betting apps will find it hard to pick between the two Turkish giants.
Fenerbahce have the edge all-time with 103 wins to 81 despite winning fewer league titles, but the intercontinental derby is unpredictable – just ask Graeme Souness.
Unfortunately, the Eternal Rivalry is more well known for the associated violence than the football in recent years. Vandalism is commonplace and fighting across the city happens frequently, such is the fury between the fans.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Emilio Morenatti / AP Photo*
