Europe’s Biggest Football Rivalries
All the major football rivalries from Europe:
United Kingdom
Featured Derby: The Old Firm Derby, Glasgow, Scotland
Celtic FC vs Rangers FC
Celtic and Rangers have been competing against each other since 1888. They have contested 381 games, with Rangers currently holding the advantage, 152 victories to Celtic’s 137. Celtic and Rangers are Scotland’s most successful clubs. Between them they have won 66 Scottish Cups and 93 Scottish Premier League titles. No other side has won the Scottish top division since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in the 1984/85 season.
The Old Firm derby has seen regular outbreaks of violence between the two sets of supporters often attributed to the Sectarianism resulting from a steep political & religious divide between supporters groups. Despite the violence, the Old Firm derby is renowned worldwide as one of the great Footballing contests.
Other UK Derbies:
Manchester United vs Liverpool (England)
Manchester United vs Manchester City (England)
Liverpool vs Everton (England)
Birmingham vs Aston Villa (England)
Arsenal vs Tottenham (England)
Newcastle vs Sunderland (England)
Sheffield Wednesday vs Sheffield United (England)
West Bromwich Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (England)
Norwich City vs Ipswich Town (England)
Bristol City vs Bristol Rovers (England)
Southampton vs Portsmouth (England)
Blackburn vs Burnley (England)
Derby County vs Nottingham Forest (England)
Arsenal vs Chelsea (England)
West Ham United vs Millwall (England)
Newcastle vs Middlesbrough (England)
Hiberian vs Hearts (Scotland)
Dundee vs Dundee United (Scotland)
Aberdeen vs Dundee United (Scotland)
Bohemians vs Shamrock (Ireland)
Swansea vs Cardiff (Wales)
Linfield vs Glentoran (Northern Irelend)
Spain
Featured Derby: El Clásico, Spain
FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid
For the people of Catalonia, FC Barcelona is more than just a Football club. During the Spanish civil war, regional areas like Catalonia were subject to attempts by the Fascist Government to suppress their unique culture and identity. FC Barcelona become a symbol of the Catalan way of life, and a representation of Spanish Democracy. Real Madrid on the other hand was viewed more as the Club representing both the establishment and Spanish Nationalism. This blend of social and political differences contributed to the fierce nature of the derby. Transfer wrangles over De Stefano in the 1950′s and Figo in 2000, intensified the rivalry even further.
The El Clasico is one of the biggest matches in World Football, capturing the imagination not only of Spain, but of the billions of supporters watching across the world.
Other Spanish Derbies:
Barcelona vs Espanyol
Real Sociedad vs Athletic Bilbao
Sevilla FC vs Real Betis
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
Valencia vs Levante
Italy
Featured Derby: Derby della Capitale, Rome, Italy
S.S Lazio vs A.S Roma
In 1927 A.S. Roma was founded. The Club was formed as a result of a merger between three of the four major clubs in Rome. The only club to resist the merger was S.S. Lazio. The rivalry between the clubs grew from this point, as they fought for the honour of representing Rome as it’s premier club. The Derby has been subject to violence over the years, driven primarily by the Ultra factions of both clubs. The Violence is often motivated by racist and fascist ideologies
In March 2004 the derby was plagued by riots, which eventually led to the game being postponed. The riots began because of false rumours spread about a boy being killed by Police outside the stadium. Three Roma Ultra’s walked onto the pitch and threatened Roma captain Francesco Totti, asking him to call the game off. The riot spread onto the streets, resulting in 13 arrests and over 170 police officers injured.
Other Italian Derbies:
AC Milan vs Inter Milan
Juventus vs Torino
Chievo v Hellas Verona
Sampdoria vs Genoa
Inter Milan vs Juventus
Palermo vs Catania
Germany
Featured Derby: The Revierderby, The Rhur, Germany
Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04
Germany’s largest derby is the Revierderby between Dortmund and Schalke. The first game between the clubs was in 1925 when Schalke triumphed 4-2. Schalke dominated the early contest, winning 17 out of first 19 games. However since the Bundesliga began in 1963, Dortmund have held a slight advantage with 27 wins to Schalke’s 25 wins.
The most famous Revierderby in recent times would have to be the May 2007 clash. Schalke had been league leaders for 3 months, and faced Dortmund on the penultimate game of the season. Schalke ended up losing the game 2-0 and as a result lost the title to Stuttgart. It had been 49 years since Schalke had lifted the German league title. Schalke’s supporters were crushed, Dortmund supporters celebrated by buying special replica kits to commemorate the occasion.
Other Germany Derbies:
Bayern Munchen vs 1860 Munchen
Werder Bremen vs Hamburg
Karlsruhe vs Stuttgart
Rest of Europe
Featured Derbies: Derby of the Eternal enemies, Athens, Greece
Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos
Olympiacos hail from the port of Piraeus and traditionally represents the working class of Athens. Panathinaikos on the other hand comes from the center of Athens and represents the old upper class of Athens. The derby originally provided the working class a way to vent their frustration towards the upper class. The rivalry has grown more intense over time, and the fixture is now synonymous with Hooligan violence. On March 2007, A Panathinaikos fan was stabbed to death in a pre arranged meeting between hooligans of both clubs. This has resulted in a police crackdown on both sets of supporters.
Other Derbies:
Benfica vs Sporting Portugal (Portugal)
Porto vs Boavista (Portugal)
Ajax vs Feyenoord (Holland)
Club Brugge vs Anderlecht (Belgium)
FK Sarajevo vs FK Zeljeznicar (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Ferencvarosi TC vs Ujpest (Hungary)
Levski Sofia vs CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria)
Dinamo Zagreb vs Hajduk Split (Croatia)
Sparta Prague vs Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
FC Copenhagen vs Brondby (Denmark)
Nantes vs Saint Etienne (France)
PSG vs Olympic Marseille (France)
Olympiacos vs AEK Athens (Greece)
Panathinaikos vs AEK Athens (Greece)
Steaua Bucuresti vs Dinamo Bucuresti (Romania)
Steaua Bucuresti vs Rapid Bucurestie (Romania)
Rapid Bucuresti vs Dinamo Bucuresti (Romania)
Spartak Moscow vs CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Spartak Moscow vs Dinamo Moscow (Russia)
Slovan Bratislava vs Spartak Trnava (Slovakia)
FC Basel vs FC Zurich (Switzerland)
AIK vs Djurgardens IF (Sweden)
Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce (Turkey)
Besiktas vs Galatasaray (Turkey)
Besiktas vs Fenerbahce (Turkey)
FK Crvena Zvezda vs Partizan (Serbia)
Dynamo Kyiv vs Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Back to the main Football Rivalries page.
We encourage anyone who has personally experienced any of the above derby fixtures to write a feature article on their experiences and get it published on Soccerlens.
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ireland is not in the uk
December 24th, 2008 @ 10:38so therefore shamrock rovers versus bohemiens derby game should not be listed there
Wrong.The Old Firm derby’s violence is totally to do with the racist ethos of Rangers, whose manager Bill Struth in 1920 insisted that Rangers become an ALL-PROTESTANT club which in the context of Scottish society meant no Irish Catholic players and turned Rangers from a football club into a focal point for anti-Irish racism.This poisonous creed thus became a rallying call to all Scottish racists who could go to Ibrox to celebrate their hatred colectively.Of course the prime function of referees was/is to maintain the Protestant Ascendancy.Can you imagine a club in London say Arsenal,having a policy of no Jewish players and singing anti-Jewish songs.Right! But in Scotland anti-Irish racism was institutionalised and only recently are efforts being made to redress virtually a century of poison.This disease is Rangers’ contribution to Scottish society and the absurd bitterness of the Old Firm ‘game’.I’d love to see one refereed by non-Protestant Scots.
December 24th, 2008 @ 11:35Poor old Ahmed has finger cramp deleting postings relating to Rangers this last few days!
Both sides of that divide (don’t be fooled by the above) are bigots and secretarian stalwarts who can’t get over history and drag their sport into the gutter.
The Old Firm atmosphere might come over well on TV but get the microphones into the crowd and you’ll find a different story.
Simon’s sensitivity is an old remnant of the same problem.
December 24th, 2008 @ 12:45Wot no Dundalk v Drogheda, etc etc…
@simon
Man’s right. Also, to be a little pedantic, no-one really calls them Shamrock. It’s Shamrock Rovers, or Rovers for short.
December 24th, 2008 @ 15:16Nice to see wednesday v united near the top, i thought everyone had forgot about us!
December 24th, 2008 @ 17:28happy to see danish derby included.. indeed FCK v. Brøndby is the only league game in Denmark where Parken fill its 48,000 seats – it is always a spectacle. Fueled by Proximity (both in Copenhagen), player transfers (Mark Strudal, Peter Møller), and social classes (FCK = upper, Brøndby = lower).
Good job on this article!
December 24th, 2008 @ 20:18@simon good point, we’ll look at fixing it up. If you’ve got any matches that you feel are missing feel free to let us know like Fredorrarci has done. We are looking to grow the lists.
December 25th, 2008 @ 12:40@Adam
I was being a little mischievous with Dundalk-Drogheda – as much as it matters in County Louth, I would have to concede that it’s not so important on a bigger scale.
December 25th, 2008 @ 20:29since we’re talking about ireland,why not mention waterford united v cork city?a lot of rivalry there(come on the blues!)
December 25th, 2008 @ 23:26Im surprised you didn’t include any of the West London rivalries of Chelsea, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers and Brentford.Though not as prominant as the other well known derbies these games are often contested fiercely especially between Premier League rivals Chelsea and Fulham. After Fulham won over Chelsea for the first time in nearly 3 decades every match after that has been really close contests.I think it should have deserved a mention in the list above
December 26th, 2008 @ 08:56Certainly merit in including any of the West London games, especially Chelsea vs Fulham. As we seen the other day, they are closely fought contests. With the initial list it came down to choosing a few select match ups to start with, then open it up to the community to expand it from there!
December 30th, 2008 @ 14:32Cork City Vs Every Dublin club. Dublin bastards have been favoured since the F.A.I. began.
March 25th, 2009 @ 12:02what about livorno vs. lazio; The fascists and neo-Nazis fans of Lazio against the left-wing and communists of Livorno.
March 31st, 2009 @ 19:59also, in Greece, the derby of Salonika, Aris vs. PAOK.
April 1st, 2009 @ 19:06AIK-djurgården is the biggest in Scandinavia, and top ten in europe.
April 15th, 2009 @ 14:18http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_nS4DvB8i8
Rangers is not a racist club, we have many races and religons in our squad, yes at one stage it was a protestant club but now it isnt, the support is stil 99.9% protestant but isnt that the same with celtic and catholics, and also sectarianism works 2 ways, so next time ur quick 2 point ur finger, stop and think and relize ur talkin a lota pish, rangers is more than a club, we are not made a bluenose, we are born one, we dont choose, we’re chosen, ‘SIMPLY THE BEST’ NO SURRENDER
April 16th, 2009 @ 23:55You should have mentioned the old Dinamo Kiev vs Spartak Moscow the old Soviet rivalry.
June 11th, 2009 @ 06:10Some missing derbies:
Ajax – PSV (Netherlands)
September 13th, 2009 @ 19:02Benfica – Porto (Portugal)
O. Lyon – Saint Etienne (France)
Anderlecht – Standard Liege (Belgium)
CSKA Moscow – Zenit (Russia)
Spartak Moscow – Zenit (Russia)
Zürich – Grasshopper (Switzerland)
Olympiacos – PAOK (Greece)
Fenerbahce – Trabzonspor (Turkey)
Deportivo La Coruña – Celta de Vigo (Spain)
Valencia – Villarreal (Spain)
Juventus – Milan (Italy)
Juventus – Fiorentina (Italy)
Juventus – Roma (Italy)
Roma – Napoli (Italy)
Bayern Munich – Nüremberg (Germany)
Bayern Munich – Stuttgart (Germany)
Bayern Munich – Hamburg (Germany)
Borussia Dortmund – Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany)
Spurs v Ar5ena1 is afterthought for us… The real action if a Spurs fan is with West Ham or Chelsea… Plan your routes to and from the stadiums very VERY carefully if attending these games!!
In relation to Rangers v Celtic… This vibrates around the whole of the UK… The vast majority of England are on course with Rangers…
NO SURRENDER!!!
September 17th, 2009 @ 11:37FC Köln v. Moenchengladbach is still pretty fierce. What about St. Pauli v. Hamburg!?
And the vast majority here in the USA is on course with Celtic!!!
January 20th, 2010 @ 00:30hey..!! italy’s biggest rivalry has got to be milan-inter or inter-juventus..roma-lazio no way ..!
January 21st, 2010 @ 13:14How about Lincoln v Boston UTD?????? lol
March 25th, 2010 @ 22:57It certainly is the Old Firm derby. There is simply no comparison.
There is a myth that Rangers never signed a Catholic player until Maurice Johnston in 1988, which is just absolute nonsense.
I’m actually laughing at the post saying Rangers are a racist club? Do you know anything about either club?
I would love to be as neutral as possible in describing the match, but Celtic (the club) not their supporters as I have good friends, are just scum and make my blood boil. Booing Simon Weston? Booing Rememberance Sunday? Not wearing a poppy? They are a club who lack any dignity or class.
The whole “religion” context is historical, there are many catholic Rangers fans and many Protestant Celtic fans. The hatred is mainly, now, because of Celtic’s desire to be Irish in contrast with Rangers’ pride of being Scottish and British.
To point the finger at Bill Struth, is just laughable, quite pathetic actually. Can I just add, that he is Britain’s most successful football manager. Bill Struth oozed class and respect for other clubs.
Watching on TV is nothing, you need to live in Glasgow the week prior to the Old Firm derby and be at the game. Thats the experience.
March 26th, 2010 @ 19:11