Ten of the world’s best football derbies

It’s Derby Day in the Premier League this Saturday as Tottenham versus Arsenal and Everton against Liverpool take centre stage. There is nothing quite like a derby to stir the passions and excite the fans. They also unite football supporters the world over because everyone agrees their derby is the best!

Here are ten derbies from all around the world and on hugely contrasting scales that have been exciting fans for years.

CELTIC v RANGERS

THE OLD FIRM. Say that phrase to any football fan in Britain and most around the world, and they know instantly of Celtic and Rangers. In a country of just five million people, here is a game of global appeal. Politics, religion and ideology are all mixed into an intense rivalry between Scotland’s two most successful clubs. Saying which team you support is a key to the type of person you are you don’t choose, it’s chosen for you. The clubs can’t live with each other, but as the last two and a half years have shown, they cannot live without each other. Even after 400 matches, the rivalry is as intense as ever. Last Sunday’s League Cup semi-final was the first since April 2012 but most observers would say it didn’t have the same feel because Celtic were so superior in winning 2-0 that the tension had gone.

GALATASARAY v FENERBAHCE

THIS match does not split a city, but two continents as it’s known as the Inter-Continental Derby. Istanbul is famous for being the gateway between Europe and Asia, as represented by these two clubs. Galatasaray come from Sisli, close to the business district and representing European Turkey. You have to cross the Bosphorus to get to Kadikoy in Asia and Fenerbahce territory. The surroundings are more humble, and there is a notable difference in atmosphere. The two clubs have dominated Turkish football over the years and their derby has been keenly contested. Just ask Graeme Souness. When the Scot was in charge of Galatasaray, success over their rivals in the Turkish Cup on enemy territory prompted the fiery Souness to run onto the pitch and plant his club’s flag in the centre circle.

GARRISON GUNNERS v WOOLPACK WANDERERS

Who? I know that’s what you are all thinking. But if you are from the Isles of Scilly, these teams would be very familiar. Why? They are the only two teams in the Isles of Scilly. Every derby match counts the league is decided by a series of 17 matches between them, played every Sunday. There are also two separate cup competitions and a Charity Shield, so there is always something on the line whenever they play. The two sides have applied to the Guinness Book of Records for being in the smallest league in the world. And they also share a similar problem to many bigger clubs about keeping hold of their players. There is no sixth-form education on the island, so those over 16 head to the mainland and don’t return!

NEWCASTLE v SUNDERLAND

THESE two North-Eastern English cities, separated by just 12 miles, have been trying to outdo each other for years. In the English Civil War, Newcastle supported the King and Sunderland supported the Parliamentarians, with Sunderland helping the Scots to colonise Newcastle after the Battle of Boldon Hill in 1644. The rivalry has manifested itself in coal, shipbuilding and business, with the people of Sunderland believing they are treated in a second class way to Newcastle. Nowadays the rivalry comes out when the two football teams meet. With a combined 88 years since they last won a national or European trophy, local superiority means everything. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the Mackems have beaten the Geordies on the last four occasions.

SEVILLA v REAL BETIS

FOOTBALL in Spain is disproportionately dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona. In most parts of the country, people support their local team and have a leaning for one of the big two. Not in Seville, they don’t. This city is divided between red (Sevilla) and green (Betis), and their derby is the best in Spain. Because of Real Madrid and Barcelona’s dominance, bragging rights in the city have been the be-all and end-all for these teams. That was until the last ten years. In that time, Sevilla have won three Europa Leagues/UEFA Cups, two Copa del Rey titles and played in the Champions League. Betis have won the Copa del Rey once, but have suffered the ignominy of two relegations.

NACIONAL v PENAROL

THE Uruguayan capital of Montevideo has been split since 1900, making it one of football’s oldest derbies outside of Great Britain. Penarol was the club founded by English immigrants working on the railways. Nacional (National) was created for purely local players in a period when most teams were founded by European immigrants. Penarol won that first match 2-0 and have just held the upper hand for most of the 510 subsequent meetings. Their 47 titles and five Copa Libertadores means they have bragging rights over Nacional’s 44 Leagues and three Copa Libertadores. One of the most famous matches came in 1987 when Penarol had three players sent off for an incident with 20 minutes to go and the score at 1-1. Despite their numerical disadvantage, the eight men managed to score and record an unforgettable success in the derby’s long history.

AL AHLY v ZAMALEK

IT is only fitting that a huge city like Cairo should host the match between African football’s two biggest clubs. Al Ahly have won 130 official trophies, more than any other club in world football and have dominated their continent with five African Champions League wins in the last ten years. They are the People’s Club, having been founded by students in 1905 and attract supporters from all over Egypt and the Middle East. Zamalek can’t boast such a starred history as their rivals, but it doesn’t make the derby any less passionate. Thankfully, it’s now back on the agenda after football in Egypt was banned for two seasons after riots at an Al Ahly match in 2012.

RED STAR v PARTIZAN

SERBIAN football may not be what it was, but don’t tell that to supporters in Belgrade, for the Eternal Derby is still able to stir up passions like few other fixtures. A relative newcomer with the first match only taking place in 1947, this rivalry is the most passionate in South East Europe. Its origins lie in politics with Red Star formed as an anti-fascist team, while Partizan were the army club of the new Yugoslavia. Since that country split in 1992, the Belgrade derby has intensified because the prize is so high. Of the 22 league titles at stake since then, only one has not been won by one of the Belgrade giants.

PERSEPOLIS v ESTEGHLAL

THE biggest football rivalry in Asia is played out in Tehran between the fanatical supporters of Persepolis and Esteghlal. Again, history and politics are rooted in this fixture as Persepolis was considered the working-class club while Taj (their name at the time) represented the Shah and the ruling upper classes. After the Islamic revolution, Taj were renamed Esteghlal and the derby was resumed. Although such was the controversy surrounding the derbies, that from 1995 onwards foreign referees were invited to officiate, to reduce the idea of bias towards one side or the other. The atmosphere in the stands has probably been better than action on the pitch most recently four of the last five league meetings have finished goalless.

BOCA JUNIORS v RIVER PLATE

THIS isn’t just ‘El Clasico’ but ‘El SuperClasico’, and one of the world’s most special derbies. Even in a football-mad country like Argentina, full of famous clubs, 70% of the population align themselves to either River or Boca, with more opting for Boca. Both clubs were formed in the working class docks or ‘La Boca’ in Buenos Aires early in the twentieth century, before River Plate moved to the affluent district of Nunez, forever earning the nickname ‘The Millionaires’. The two stadiums are awash with colour and noise whenever the two sides face off, which currently stands at 236 official matches and 119 unofficial games. The rivalry is enormous and you are either River or Boca, but despite that 99 men have been brave enough to represent both.