The 11 Greatest Derbies in Football

The National Student

From Rome to Johannesburg, Buenos Aires to Athens, there are some football games that go beyond simple club passion. These are some of the most significant derbies in the world.

These are games that have political and social undertones, matches steeped in tradition and history.

I’ve done my best to narrow it down - in no particular order, as for each fan, theirs is the greatest and no match has a place above it. I acknowledge there are many left off, such as Merseyside or Milan, but these derbies have some special distinguishing factors and made the list as a result.

Al Ahly v Zamalek

The Cairo Derby was first played in 1917, with Al Ahly coming out victors 1-0. Currently Al Ahly lead the way, with 63 victories to Zamalek’s 36, with 56 draws between them. However, Zamalek won the last encounter 3-1. It is a derby marred by violence, and a split of colour within the stadium.

The rivalry stems from Al Ahly being a traditionally Egyptian club, whereas Zamalek was founded by a Belgian, and is viewed as a mixed team who welcome anybody. These origins still drive the feud today. It is seen as a quasi-religion to support either club, often playing a role in politics and social life. The ultras of each club played a vital role in the 2011 revolution. 

Kaiser Chiefs v Orlando Pirates

Despite South Africa being a country with a reputation for violence, the country’s biggest derby is in good spirit.

Played out in Soweto, hence the name the ‘Soweto Derby’, the match fills the 94, 000 capacity FNB Stadium. Results are split, Chiefs winning 21 to Pirates’ 19. The league title has evaded both teams recently, and so the derby itself is heating up. The rivalry stems from Chiefs’s formation by former Pirates player Kaiser Motaung. A game that catches the attention of the nation, it’s fueled by passion. The stadium rings with vuvuzelas, and the fans’ attire is incredible. However the Cape Derby, between newly-formed Cape Town City and Ajax Cape Town, could soon steal the show.

Lazio v Roma

Benito Mussolini wished to create a united Roman club, to challenge the Northern teams. Lazio resisted this under the influence of Fascist general Giorgio Vaccaro.

Lazio fans suddenly found themselves outnumbered, and the derby became based on territory and ideologies. Today, it has been marred by incidents of racism, anti-Semitism and violence. The clubs have distanced themselves, yet the minority ultras continue to heat tensions. TheDerby della Capitaleis a hotly contested affair, and historically Roma lead, with 67 wins to 50 out of the 180 played.

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

Despite the first meeting being held in 1887, the rivalry only truly got going when Arsenal moved to Highbury in 1913, making them Spurs’ closest neighbour. The teams regularly met before and during World War One, but it was after that tensions grew. The First Division was expanded by two teams and, despite Spurs finishing 20th in that division, and Arsenal fifth in the Second Division, Arsenal were given the spot in the league and Spurs relegated. Since then, fixtures between the two have been extremely regular. They are often significant within individual seasons, as well as being marked with history.

Despite this though, it doesn’t quite catch the eyes like the Merseyside derby or United against Liverpool, maybe as it appears a bit too one-sided, or that since 03/04, it hasn’t carried much significance for the league as whole? However, the fans of each would beg to differ. Although this season it may very well be that this derby is of more significance than many, if any, others in the Premier League.

Fenerbahçe v Galatasary

A failed merger attempt in 1913, due to the Balkan Wars. One of the first friendlies abandoned due to violence. The writing’s on the wall as far as this rivalry is concerned.

Both clubs are located in Istanbul, and meetings are a spectacle to behold. The two teams are often competing for the league title, and the games carry great significance as a result. Hooliganism is common at the games, an infamous stabbing occurring in May 2013. Passions run so high that former Galatasary manager Graham Souness planted a Galatasary flag in front of Fenerbahçe fans when his team won. Having played 383 times, Galatasary have won 144 and Fenerbahçe 123, with 116 draws. It’s longstanding, steeped in history, and very intense.

Real Madrid v Barcelona

How couldEl Clásiconot be on the list? It’s one of the games that the whole footballing world pays attention to. However, it really is so much more than football. In 1936, Barcelona’s president Josep Sunyol was executed without trial by Francisco Franco’s troops, as he was a member of the Republican Left of Catalonia. Furthermore, the link between Franco’s regime and Real Madrid was obvious.

To Barcelona, Real Madrid represent this regime and more, whereas Barcelona represent Catalan independence, two very different political ideals. Thus, the rivalry carries immense political weight. Catalan nationalism is still huge today, and the clubs play out a fiercely proud fixture. It has grown to a global spectacle, with neither team having ever been relegated from La Liga. Only Athletic Bilbao can say the same. In all matches, Barcelona lead 109 to 97, with 58 draws.

Ajax v Feyenoord

De Klassikierwas first played on 9 October 1921. It ended 3-2, however after protesting a questionable Ajax goal, Feyenoord managed to have the score ammended to 2-2.

It started out as competition between the artisans of Amsterdam and the workers of Rotterdam, who believed that those of Ajax had delusions of grandeur. However, it has also caused both clubs to renovate their stadiums, improving their capacity and facilities. Such goes the rivalry that some Feyenoord fans opposed the signing of Johan Cruyff, some refusing to enter whilst he was in the stadium. During the 70s, both clubs were among the best in the world, and the rivalry grew more. Recently though, both have gone through a dip. Having met 187 times Ajax lead with 82 wins to Feyenoord’s 58.

Celtic v Rangers

Glasgow’s Old Firm derby is one of the more volatile fixtures on the list. Violence has historically been common at the fixtures, and tensions run extremely high.  Founded in 1872 traditionally Rangers was a team for the Protestant, Scottish establishment. Opposing this, Celtic was founded to represent the Catholic Irish in Scotland, as well as providing aid for the poor.

The strict division between the two has become blurred recently, yet the derby is still fierce. A pitch invasion in 1980 played a key role in the banning of alcohol from stadiums. Having met an impressive 403 times, Rangers edge Celtic 159 to 147.

Olympiacos v Panathinaikos

With the fixture being given the title of the ‘Derby of the Eternal Enemies’ by fans, you may well expect this to be on here. How couldn’t it be?

Panathinaikos was founded in 1908, as a club from central Athens. It represented the higher class of Greek society. Olympiacos was founded in in 1925 in Piraeus, on the outskirts of Athens. They represented the poorer classes at the time.

Since then these harsh divisions have faded and now the massive fan-bases for each club represent all manner of social classes. However, tension and hostility remains. Domestically, Olympiacos lead with 76 titles, but Panathinaikos lead on the European stage (they’ve never won anything, but there appearance in the 1971 European Cup Final is the best to date, for a Greek side). Hooliganism is an ever-present feature, and the 2007 stabbing of Mihalis Filopolous sparked the suspension of all sporting events in Greece for two weeks. Olympiacos currently lead Panathinaikos 80-48 in wins in the derby.

Manchester United v Liverpool

Many fans of the two clubs consider it to be greater than their local derbies - surely that alone makes the case for this fixtures inclusion? Recently the Manchester derby has meant more in terms of a title, yes. For pride however, this is the one.

Ask any Manchester United fan what team they would most like to beat this season, they invariably reply Liverpool, without a thought. The significance of the two cities in the context of British history is massive. Both played important parts in the Industrial Revolution and have become centres of culture since.

The season after Liverpool was founded, they beat Newton Heath (the caterpillar to United’s butterfly), and took their place in the First Division. After various back and forths, both teams maintained themselves in the First Division (now the Premier League) and are England’s two most successful teams.

Only five times since 1972 has neither team been in the top two in the league, with silverware being won elsewhere by one in four out of those five seasons. The rivalry goes deep within the players too. Steven Gerrard refused to have a United shirt in his house, and Rooney stated he grew up hating Liverpool (although he was also an Everton fan). Look at the infamous Suárez-Evra incident in 2011. The North-West Derby has to go down as one of the biggest, and United will smile smugly as they lead with 79 wins to Liverpool’s 65, with 53 draws between them.

Boca Juniors v Riverplate

Also known as ‘TheSuperclásico’. The Daily Telegraph ranked it as the biggest rivalry in club football. FourFourTwo marked it as the biggest derby in the world. Both clubs were originally founded in the district of La Boca, River Plate in 1901 and Juniors in 1905. However, when River Plate moved to the wealthier district of Núñez, Boca began to represent the working class.

Now, both clubs appeal to and are supported by all social classes. Fan rivalry goes deep, with games often ending in violence. Boca fans refer to River fans asgallinas, which means chickens. On the other side of the coin Boca are calledlos chanchitos, as River fans claims that Boca stadium smells.

Okay that doesn’t sound that bad but it is, I promise. Historically, Boca lead with 132 wins against River Plat’s 116 of the 362 games played