The European continent, from Istanbul to Glasgow, Rome and the south of Germany, is full of hot derbies and matches that offer much more than three points and are worth a season. Let’s explore the most fascinating ones.
European Derby: From the Old Firm in Glasgow to the Clásico
You can’t help but start by offering Europe’s hottest football derbies, from the legendary Scottish Old Firm. Glasgow’s two teams, Celtic and Rangers, have been competing since 1888 in a match that is much more than just a football match. In fact, it is not just two sports clubs that collide, but two real worlds.
In fact, Celtic are considered the city’s Catholic club, while Rangers are of Protestant origin. Although religious differences have diminished over time, its classical designation, that of Glasgow always played in December, a derby with a unique appeal that remains balanced in terms of results. In 467 matches played so far, the data shows 166 Celtic wins, 169 Rangers wins and 102 draws.
Europe’s most popular derbies
Close behind, but certainly not in terms of football mystique, is Spain’s legendary “Clasico”. The match between Barcelona and Real Madrid is a fight that pits two real political ideologies against each other, with the Madridistas carrying the flag of realistic Spanish national unity and the Blaugrana. Representatives of Catalan independence pride In the world. The derby between Spain’s two most important clubs (along with Athletic Bilbao are the only ones to have never been relegated from the first division) has been played since 1902, and Barcelona has a slight advantage: 124 to 109, 64 draws.
We are really spoiled for choice when we move to Italy in terms of football competition. But when we talk about hot challenges, it is impossible not to mention: Rome derby between Roma and Lazio. If it is true that Milan-Inter and Juventus-Torino, to mention two other friendly encounters, are also very popular derbies, the match in the capital is truly as valuable as a match for the two fans. season.
The first match between the two Capitoline teams was played on December 8, 1929, and Roma won 1-0 with a goal from the legendary Rodolfo Volk in front of fifteen thousand spectators at the Rondinella Stadium, before collapsing in 1957. From the beginning the match between the two Roma teams was full of tension, the Roma fans were much larger than the white and blue and there were clear social differences: more popular, proletarian, Roman’sThe one in Lazio is more bourgeois. Since then, 196 derbies have been played; The Giallorossi had 73 wins, Lazio 66 wins and 57 draws.
North West Derby, Der Klassiker, Intercontinental Derby and Eternal Enemies Derby
Manchester United and Liverpool represent the most historic rivalry in England between two cities that have clashed over the years not only on the sporting front, but also on the cultural, political, social, economic and industrial front. Only fifty kilometers away, Northern England’s two largest metropolises They have been racing since 1894. The biggest victory came to Liverpool on March 5, 2023: a historic 7-0 thrashing by Jurgen Klopp’s men against an increasingly disastrous team led by Ten Hag.
There is also great fanfare and an unstoppable rivalry for Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund, the biggest football match between clubs in Germany, also known as the German Der Klassiker. This is no old derby, considering the two teams first faced each other in 1965; Has become increasingly hotter since the 1990sFirst of all, thanks to Dortmund’s ability to challenge the undisputed leadership of the Bavarians in Germany.
We move on to the real fire with Fenerbahce-Galatasaray. Intercontinental Derby (Turkish Intercontinental)They are between two major Turkish teams whose headquarters are at the European and Asian ends of Istanbul respectively. A cross-cultural challengeBetween these two clubs, Fenerbahce is the team that has been played in very hot stadiums since 1909, with 148 wins against rival Galatasaray’s 122.
Finally, the legendary derby between Olympiakos Piraeus and Panathinaikos Athens, also known as the derby of eternal enemies, definitely deserves mention. Like Turkey, Greece is famous worldwide for the warm atmosphere felt in football stadiums, and this rivalry that has been exciting the public since 1930 is proof of this. while Panathinaikos represents the bourgeois class of AthensOlympiacos, the rich city that lives in the highest part, is, on the contrary, the club of those who live in the lowest part, the symbol of the working class in the Piraeus port area: a legendary challenge.
