A rare occurrence will take place this year in the Copa Libertadores final, in South America’s top club tournament: the two big Buenos Aires clubs, River Plate and Boca Juniors, will fight not only for the city’s bragging rights, but also for the continental trophy. The first leg takes place this Saturday, November 10 at 3pm EST in the famous La Bombonera stadium. And if these derbies and other rivalry games only happen scarcely in cup finals, Impact Media brings you 10 other fierce confrontations that go way beyond the 90 minutes on the field.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Superclásico
Boca Juniors v River Plate
First meeting: Boca Juniors 1-2 River Plate, August 24, 19
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This is one of the hottest derbies on the planet. The Superclásico always has a lot of passion in store in the stands. In the blue corner, Boca Juniors, with its working-class fans; in the red corner, River Plate, typically followed by more comfortable fans. Not only is it a sporting clash between the country’s most successful clubs, but it has become a social clash. And there are a lot of clashes on the pitch as well… Like during a recent game, where the referee had to show his red card FIVE times.
Spain
El Clásico
Barcelona v Real Madrid
First meeting: Barcelona 3-1 Real Madrid, May 13, 1902
Barcelona and Real Madrid are Spain’s and arguably Europe’s two biggest clubs, who have in their squads the two best players in the world in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s also a battle royale between the Spanish capital and the Catalan capital. The Madridistas against the Culés. El Clásico is the first fixture soccer fans look for when the schedule is out, and not without reason: over three goals per game on average between the winners of 55 Spanish championships, 15 European cups and 4 Club World Cups.
North London, England, UK
North London Derby
Arsenal v Tottenham
First meeting: Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham, December 4, 1909
Only seven kilometres separate Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium from Spurs’ White Hart Lane. The rivalry is intense, with daily repercussions: supporters from both sides of the divide see each other in their neighborhood, at work, in the Underground… This fuels their will to win and to stick it in their opponents’ faces until the next derby. Thierry Henry, ex-Gunners talisman and winner of all imaginable trophies, has declared that the biggest accomplishment of his career was never losing to Tottenham.
North West of England, UK
Liverpool v Manchester United
First meeting: Liverpool 2-0 Newton Heath (Manchester United), April 28, 1894
England’s most successful clubs (20 titles for the Red Devils, 18 for the Reds) are about 50 kilometres apart. As well as being neighbours and sharing red as a primary colour, Liverpool’s and Manchester United’s stadiums are emblematic: Anfield is known to have the most electrifying environment in England with a crowd of connoisseurs, while Old Trafford was nicknamed The Theatre of Dreams by Sir Bobby Charlton. Even though both teams entertain a long love-hate story, they only met for the first time on the European stage last year, in the Europa League’s round of 16. Liverpool went through after winning 3-1 on aggregate after 180 minutes of intense play. And don’t you dare cross the divide: no player has been transferred directly between both clubs since 1964.
Portugal
O Clássico
Benfica v Porto
First meeting: Benfica 8-2 Porto, April 28, 1912
Looking at the result of Portugal’s two most successful clubs’ first meeting, one could believe that the Eagles, the Lisboners’ nickname, dominate their Porto rivals since forever. In truth, the rivalry is pretty even, but the Dragões have had the upper hand over the capital’s representatives in the wins department, by the score of 91 to 86. In the trophy cabinet, only one piece of silverware separates both clubs: Benfica has hoisted 75 trophies while Porto has won 74 competitions. More recently, meetings between Benfica and Porto have often determined who takes the top spot in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
Roma, Italy
Derby della Capitale
Lazio v Roma
First meeting: Lazio 0-1 Roma, December 8, 1929
Romans have this game between the Italian’s capital clubs at heart, especially as they share the same stadium. The intensity behind this rivalry has repeatedly instigated clashes between fans. Historically, the two clubs were formed during Mussolini’s reign with the hope that they could challenge the dominating Northern teams (Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan). They haven’t exactly done that, sharing only five Italian titles between them. Still, each year, the Biancocelesti and the Giallorossi fight for Roman supremacy.
Istanbul, Turkey
Intercontinental Derby
Fenerbahçe v Galatasaray
First meeting: Fenerbahçe 0-2 Galatasaray, January 17, 1909
17,800 metres between them or 20 minutes by car… on 2 continents. This is how it pans out in the Intercontinental Derby, the name of the Istanbul rivalry opposing Fenerbahçe, whose Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium sits in Asia, and Galatasaray, Didier Drogba’s former club, which plays its home games at the Türk Telekom Arena, in Europe. The fans’ fervour is absolutely breathtaking and gives bite and energy to the players on the pitch. In the championship department, Gala has 20 Turkish titles; Fener has 19.
France
Derby de France
Olympique Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain
First meeting: OM 4-2 PSG, December 12, 1971
Paris-Marseille is a rivalry that transcends sport. It pits the North against the South, the capital against Provence, a clash between France’s two largest cities. On the field, the hatred is palpable. L’OM, founded in 1899, is the only French club to have won the UEFA Champions League. Even though Marseille is one of the Hexagon’s historic clubs, its star has faded in recent years. On the other side, PSG, created in 1971, belongs in the nouveaux riches club, along with Chelsea and Manchester City. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the line and now expensive transfers for the world's most coveted players, they have won four of the last five Ligue 1 titles. From the Vélodrome to the Parc des Princes, it’s a rocking rivalry.
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Old Firm Derby
Celtic FC v Rangers FC
First meeting: Celtic 5-2 Rangers, May 28, 1888
Those who say soccer is not a contact sport will be mystified by the Scottish derby. Considered by many as THE greatest rivalry in the world, the Old Firm Derby happens with a background of political, cultural and religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants, between separatists and loyalists. These almost yearly meetings – liquidated, Rangers were relegated to the fourth division but are back in the Scottish Premier League – have a heavy history: over 400 games all played with passion, energy, almost violence. Warning: sensitive content.
Milan, Italy
Derby della Madonnina
AC Milan v Inter Milan
First meeting: AC Milan 2-1 Inter Milan, October 18, 1908
Here are two more clubs who share the same ground. The San Siro has been the theatre of 216 games between the Milan giants, even in the Champions League. In fact, the 2003 semi-final has given a weird scenario, in the end funny for the Rossoneri and infuriating for the Nerazurri: with the score tied 1-1 after 180 minutes, AC Milan goes through to the final on away goals… even though both games happened in the same stadium. Woops.
Cascadia, USA
Cascadia Cup
Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders
First meeting: Portland 0-1 Seattle, May 2, 1976
92 games across 8 competitions: Portland against Seattle is one of the strongest rivalries in the United States, all sports combined. Not only are bragging rights over the Pacific North West region up for grabs, but the clubs also battle, along with Vancouver Whitecaps, for the Cascadia Cup, a competition based on MLS games played between these teams. Seattle always boasts the biggest attendance in MLS season after season, with 44,247 filling the CenturyLink Field on average, while Portland stays hot with its cauldron-like ambiance and its imposing tifos.
