From the El Classico to the Derby Della Madonnina, here are the top 10 football rivalries in the world

Marco Materazzi (R) and Rui Costa watch on as fans trow flares on the pitch during their 2005 Champions League meeting | Stefano Rellandini, Reuters

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Fiercest Derbies

FOOTBALL From the El Classico to the Derby Della Madonnina, here are the top 10 football rivalries in the world

Allan Damba 22:09 - 07.05.2023

It's damning as, according to multiple sites, including Bleacher Report, World Football Index and Football Today, don't include the Manchester and Mersey-side derbies among the top football rivalries in the world.

Football is a sport filled with rivalries generated from hype, borders, divergent cultures, religion, financial classes, and politics, among others, created throughout history.

It's damning as, according to multiple sources, including Bleacher Report, World Football Index and Football Today, don't include the Manchester and Mersey-side derbies among the top ten.

Pulse Sports Uganda digs into bringing you some of the most genuinely enthralling rivalries in the World.

Top 10 football rivalries 

10. Der Klassiker (Dortmund vs Bayern Munich)

The Der Klassiker was created through sheer competition between two of the biggest clubs in Germany, making their meeting one of the top 10 football rivalries in the world. 

Bayern's Lother Mathaus (red and blue) clashes with Andreas Moeller|Imago

With Dortmund considered the only team that can match Bayern, encounters between the two are always stacked with drama, hype and broken seats.

The first match between the two was played in 1965, and the rivalry has been intensifying since then. It brewed even more in the 1990s and recently as Dortmund tried to threaten Bayern's dominion.

9. The Derby of the Eternal Enemies (Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos)

Greece is known for its rich history and passion for football. Flares always go on when the country's biggest clubs face off.  This football rivalry is also called the Mother of all battles.

The wealthy (Panathinaikos) and the working class (Olympiacos) never cross paths, and it's always fights and blood when they meet.

Flares and flames when the two meet|Imago

This goes on from the days leading to the match and after, and supporters' groups always organize these fights.

8. The Cairo Derby (Al Ahly vs Zamalek)

The Cairo derby is arguably the most prominent football rivalry and ranks up there among the top 10 football rivalries. 

It's between two clubs, Al Ahly and Zamalek, who both feel they own Cairo, Egypt and Africa.

An Ahly fan cheering the crowd against Zamalek|Goal image

To say this football rivalry is fierce is an understatement, as it always comes with violence and bloodshed. In addition, players cannot cross to play for the other team.

The entire Egyptian Premier League season in 1971/72 was cancelled after fans of both teams went violent, causing injuries and deaths. Unfortunately, the latter still happens to date.

In most cases, non-Egyptian referees are flown into the country to officiate matches involving the two eternal rivals.

7. Derby Della Madonnina (AC Milan vs Inter Milan)

This is the biggest football rivalry in Italan football and one of the fiercest in Europe, it is also known as Derby di Milano. 

It is played between two Italian football heavyweights who share a city and a stadium (San Siro or Stadio Guiseppe Meazza).

Flares on the pitch as the two clubs faced off in the 2021\22 season|Imago

It's named after the famous statue in Milan of the Virgin Mary. When fans of these two football-passionate clubs meet, it's war.

A crazy fact about this football rivalry, in the 1960s, Sandro Mazzola of Inter Milan and Gianni Rivera of AC Milan, the two best players in Italy, refused to play together on the national team.

For those reason others, the Derby Della Madonnina or Milan Derby ranks among the top 10 football rivalries in the world. 

6. The North Western Derby (Manchester United Vs Liverpool)

It's a high-profile derby between the two biggest clubs in England and two of the most prestigious clubs in England and the world. 

Liverpool players including Luis Suarez (right) clash with Manchester United's Rafael Da Silva|SUN Image

It's fueled by competition and proximity between the two major cities they represent. It's also engineered by historic economic and industrial rivalry, significant periods of football dominance, European success and prestige.

Liverpool vs Manchester has not featured on the list of the of the top 10 football rivalries for show, since 1964, no player has transferred directly from one club to the other, underlining the hatred between the two heavyweights.

5. The North London Derby (Arsenal vs Tottenham)

Fans of each side consider the other their biggest and main rivals. So from the streets, pubs, buses, trains, and dressing room to the pitch, it's always hyped up when Arsenal and Tottenham meet.

This dates back in 1913 qualifying the fixture on the list of the top 10 football rivalries in the world. 

Arsenal and Tottenham players get separated by the referee|Bleacher Report Image

Totteringham's Day is a holiday for all Gunners. It's a day when Tottenham can no longer mathematically finish above Arsenal in the English Premier League.

4. El Super Clasico (Chivas vs Club America)

It's a rivalry based on politics and culture between the two Mexican powerhouses. It promises deadly violence every time the two meet. 

The rivalry was fueled after Club America got purchased by wealthy owners and bought the best players, while Chivas preferred to groom the born and bred talent.

With totally diffierent approaches to sucess the El Super Classico build their status on the list of the top 10 football rivalries without notice. 

Blood oozing out of a fan after a brawl between supporters of the two teams|Insider Image

3. The Old Firm Derby (Celtics vs Rangers)

Another one that ranks up there as one of the top 10 football rivalries not only in the United Kingdom but also Europe. The two teams from Galsgow are the richest and most successful in Scotland.

Celtic fans paint the stadium green for the derby|ESPN Image

While it's more about bragging rights lately, initially, it was about religious differences. So, for example, the Rangers community, who are predominantly protestant, considered themselves the native Scots, and the club didn't sign a Catholic player till 1986.

Celtic, however, is a community of Catholics whose colours match their Irish heritage.

In 1980, over 9,000 fans from both ends stormed the pitch and fought in one of the World's worst pitch invasions. Unfortunately, violence continue to increases around Glasgow on matchdays.

2. El Superclasico (River Plate vs Boca Juniors)

The rivalry between Argentina's two most successful clubs developed through finances and the contrast between their neighbourhood in the capital, Buenos Aires.

With the passion and temperament associated with people from South America, when the two meet, it's jibes, fights, blood and horror.

Rowdy fans in the match between River Plate and Boca Juniors|the Sun image

Fans celebrate victories and taunt the loser for days afterwards, with many matches ending in riots.

It's so renowned in the World that so many tour packages to Buenos Aires come with tickets to the match.

For more context, five red cards were dished out in a friendly match in 2016 between the two.

1. El Clasico (Real Madrid vs Barcelona)

This rivalry has been growing in lips and bounds as one of the fiercest derbies in the world and it easily rank high up there as one of the top football rivalries in the world.

Infact, the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona doesn't have so much to do with football and more to do with politics, which dates back to the 1900s.

It has roots in the Spanish Civil War when people chose football to show their political lineage and alignment, wearing jerseys on non-match days in open rebellion.

Real Madrid and Barcelona in a fight|courtesy image

Generations have come and gone, yet the anger from either side is fresh and raw.

Currently, Real Madrid is the most popular football club worldwide, yet Barcelona still feels it's bigger and has more influence than the former.

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