The 10 greatest rivalries in club football history

#7 The Old Firm

The Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers, the two most successful football clubs in Scotland, is more than just a game of football. The two Glasgow-based clubs represent the difference in the political and religious ideologies of supporters.

Celtic supporters are associated with the Catholic Church and Rangers with the Protestants Church. The rivalry goes further ahead on the political compass with differences in views on Northern-Ireland politics (Loyalists and Republicans), the national identity issue (British and Irish Scots) and the social ideology (conservatism and socialism). These differences have led to multiple violent derbies in this rivalry’s 132-year history.

At the same time, this rivalry has also contributed to the Scottish economy. In 2005, the mere presence of two cross-city rivals was worth £120 million to the nation’s economy.

Both clubs have dominated Scottish football with 105 league titles, 72 Scottish Cups and 46 Scottish League Cups between them.

#6 Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Liverpool vs United - The Race for the Best in England!

There is no shortage of classic rivalries in English football. However, very few of them are better than Liverpool vs. Manchester United, the country's two most successful clubs by a distance, the Reds vs. the Red Devils.

Unlike most other rivalries, the North West Derby is more about the on-field dominance than anything else. Both United and Liverpool have dominated English football with 20 and 19 league titles and three and six European titles, respectively.

The race for the crown of ‘Best English Club’ is the secret behind this rivalry. The legendary managers and players who have been part of this derby over the years have also helped spice things up.

The first game between the two clubs was played in April 1894, when United were named Newton Heath. Since then, the powerhouses of English football have faced off 204 times, where United hold 80-67 advantage.

#5 The Milan derby

Two clubs from the beautiful city of Milan, they have won the Serie A title 18 times each, they also share the same home. Yes, it’s the Derby Della Madonnina, aka the Milan Derby.

In 1908, a mere nine years after AC Milan was founded, the club was split due to issues over the signing of foreign players. The new club was called ‘Football Club Internazionale’ and just like that, both clubs became arch-rivals.

The Milan clubs first faced each other in 1909, where the “parent” club won 3-2. Since then, both teams have faced each other 296 times in official and unofficial games, and AC Milan hold an advantage with 112 wins.

Just like the Fla-Flu, the Milan Derby is one of the very few cross-town derbies to be played in the same stadium, the San Siro.

#4 Olympiakos vs. Panathinaikos

When a game of football is called ‘the derby of the eternal enemies’ or ‘the Mother of all battles’, take the hint and watch the game on TV.

The rivalry started as working-class supporters versus the middle and upper class of society. Olympiakos supporters came from the outskirts of Athens in Piraeus, while Panathinaikos had the support of the rich part of the city. Over the years, the economic differences may have been settled, but the rivalry has hardly mellowed down. If anything, it keeps getting more fierce and crazy with every passing game of football.

Although these eternal rivals are the two most successful clubs in Greece, Olympiakos dominate the league with 45-20 track record. Unfortunately, hooliganism has been part of this derby for years and has resulted in some ugly incidents.

Edited by Alex Turk