Most Exciting Derbies From Around The World

Ah, derby day. There’s no time for a football fan that’s more exciting and nerve racking than when your team gears up to face their greatest rivals.  

There’s no denying that football derbies are the most thrilling games of the season. So here are some of the fiercest derbies from around the world.   

Derby della Madonnina 

An interesting derby, seeing as both clubs play on the same stadium, Inter Milan vs AC Milan is the best known rivalry in Italy.  

The two teams had their dip in form over recent years and fell out of the limelight in a few ways. However, a recent return to form on both sides of the derby has seen a resurgence.  

The rivalry has seen a few notable players play on both teams throughout their careers such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo, and the OG Ronaldo (not the only derby on this list to have this legend play on either side). 

West Ham V Millwall 

Perhaps put more into the public eye by the film “Green Street” West Ham vs Millwall Is a derby that stands on its own two feet as a brilliant rivalry.  

With the two teams playing in different leagues, the sides haven’t met since 2012. If anything, this just makes the match more explosive when it does happen. 

Although Millwall and West Ham don’t compete often, fans from either side still cite the other team as their biggest rival. They may not meet often but they certainly don’t miss the opportunity for a thrilling 90 minutes when they do.  

 After 99 meetings, some would be surprised to see that Millwall have more wins with 38. However, West Ham sit with 34 and I’m sure they’d be keen to pull ahead in future meetings with their rivals.   

El Clasico 

Although the match up between Real Madrid and Barcelona may not be as exciting as it once was, with both teams dropping form over the last few seasons, El Classico is historically one of the most exciting and interesting rivalries in the world.  

El Classico has brought us so many iconic moments, such as Ronaldinho receiving a standing ovation from the entire stadium after a perfect game of football, to being able to see the competition between Messi and Ronaldo grow for years.  

El Clasico will always be a rivalry fans from around the world look forward to watching.  

North West Derby 

This may be a controversial addition to this seeing as Liverpool and Manchester United have their respective inter-city Derbies, but the North West derby has always been iconic.  

At it’s peak this rivalry was regarded as one of the biggest in world football. With the fall off of Manchester United after the departure of sir Alex Ferguson, the derby has lost a bit of its spice. However, there’s a clear pattern showing now that Manchester United are well and truly on the comeback. And with Liverpool's recent form, there’s potential for this derby to once again be as powerful as it was. If not, more.  

This match is so good that we have another post dedicated to five classic Man United v Liverpool matches. Feel free to check it out! 

Old Firm  

The match between the two biggest forces in Glasgow and Scotland, The old firm, played between Celtic and Rangers, is arguably one of the most bitter rivalries in the world.  

Unfortunate for fans of other clubs in the country, this rivalry is so big that most people in Scotland are assumed to have a preference between the two sides. If your response to the question “Celtic or Rangers?” Is anything but either of the clubs, the person asking is likely to not believe you.  

Just goes to show the impact this rivalry has on Scottish culture, cementing the old firm as a top dog derby.  

Superclasico 

The matchup between River Plate and Boca Juniors shows that absolutely no one does it like the Argentinians.  

The Superclasico grabs the attention of people all around the world every time the two sides meet. Fans for both teams go the extra mile to show their support for their respective teams. The chaos that ensues during the Superclasico means that it may not be a match to be visited by most neutral football fans seeing as the match will often take over the country. 70% of Argentinian football fans are said to support one of the Superclasico teams making it easily the biggest derby in Argentina and possibly the world.  

Conclusion 

So, there we have it! Some of the biggest football rivalries in the world. Every match on this list is unmissable if you’re a football fan, so keep an eye out for these fixtures and you won’t be disappointed.