The biggest football rivalries in the world

Great football rivalries throw up everything supporters want from their matchday experience.

Contests around the world are made all the more intense by the fierce hatred some teams share for each other, often resulting in some of the most entertaining matches seen each season.

But which rivalries are the biggest? Here is 90min's ranking of some of the most heated fixtures in world football.

20. Paris Saint-Germain vs Marseille

The representatives of France's south look upon their Parisian rivals with a seething sense of resentment. Marseille were once the country's supreme force, even if Bernard Tapie's reign was drenched in illegitimacy, but they've seen Paris Saint-Germain sweep all before them since the arrival of Qatari investment.

This is a rivalry with a fairly modern starting point. Le Classique has only been regarded as France's premier fixture since PSG claimed their maiden league title in 1986.

Thus, the cultural and historical ties surrounding this fixture are fairly weak, but the intensity of the contest at its apex was remarkable. The two teams are the most successful in France, combining for 22 Ligue 1 titles.

19. Benfica vs Sporting CP

"This is the only match that touches Portugal," commented former Sporting CP player and manager Manuel Fernandes. "The only derby in the championship that moves the entire country."

Portuguese football has perpetually been dominated by three clubs and the bouts between the trio aren't to be missed. Only twice since 1938 have a club outside of the big three won the league.

When Sporting CP and Benfica face off for bragging rights in the capital, the whole of the country takes notice.

Porto's emergence in recent decades has allowed a secondary hatred to develop among Benfica and Sporting loyalists, but Benfica vs Sporting CP will forever be regarded as Portugal's original derby.

18. Gremio vs Internacional

Like so many cities across the globe, Porto Alegre is divided into blue and red.

The blue of Gremio and red of Internacional were both formed by 1909, with the pair boasting respective German and Italian roots. A 10-0 triumph for Gremio in the maiden Grenal derby failed to foreshadow the competitiveness of the two clubs in the decades that followed, with Gremio and Inter each enjoying spells of domination while their great rival faltered.

Both possess fanatical fanbases, with neutrality impossible in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul when the Grenal is around the corner.

17. Lyon vs Saint Etienne

Before Canal+'s moguls got involved and turned the previously inconsequential PSG vs Marseille 'rivalry' into France's Classique, Le Derby du Rhone was the biggest match in the Ligue 1 calendar.

In truth, the derby has developed into somewhat of a circus act in modern times with both Lyon and Saint Etienne, who have spent time in the second tier, failing to mimic the majesty of their respective apexes.

Only PSG have secured more Ligue 1 title triumphs than Saint Etienne, who secured all their victories between 1957 and 1981. Lyon, meanwhile, were utterly dominant in the noughties.

The two clubs are separated by 50km, with Lyon's rich cultural history contrasting the industrial roots of Saint Etienne, France's 13th-largest city. The close proximity and Saint Etienne's dominance pre-Classique emergence brought about envy among Lyon supporters and the rivalry blossomed during the 1990s before occasionally turning violent at the turn of the millennium.

16. Real Betis vs Sevilla

El Gran Derbi has a familiar foundation story with Real Betis forming from an internal split within Sevilla FC, established 24 years prior, in 1914.

The two Andalusian teams have rarely competed together at the summit of the Spanish game, but the rivalry is historic and rooted in class division. It's believed that the elitist attitude which had begun to manifest within Sevilla sparked the club member walkout that ultimately led to Betis' formation.

They've long regarded themselves as the Andalusian underdog given their humble beginnings, working-class associations and minimal success on the biggest stage, while Sevilla have consistently fought it out with Europe's best in the 21st century.

15. Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke

Germany's industrial heartland, the Ruhr, is home to Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen - cities separated by a mere 20km. Inhabitants of both have traditionally shared working-class values and while some supporters of BVB and Schalke can't bear to even utter the name of their Ruhr rival, an underlying mutual respect envelops this derby.

Borussia Dortmund and Schalke were among the Bundesliga's founding fathers in 1962, with the latter enjoying much of their domestic success before the competition's foundation.

Dortmund have fared much better without enjoying periods of outright domination, but they've tended to avoid looking down upon their inferior Revierderby rivals.

While bereft of fan violence and distinct on-pitch animosity, meetings between the pair rarely disappoint and have supplied some of the most memorable moments and games in Bundesliga history.

14. Nacional vs Penarol

Uruguay's answer to the Clasico may lack the prestige and star power of other rivalries, but very few duels across the globe boast more history.

Club Nacional de Football and Club Atletico Penarol's duels trace back to the 20th century following the arrival of English workers in Uruguay. The immigrants formed the Central Uruguayan Railway Cricket Club in 1913, a few years after Nacional's formation, and the two clubs quickly went about attempting to assert themselves as the country's best.

Geography and their respective successes fuelled the fire of a rivalry which developed over time, with the two clubs facing off on more than 500 occasions.

The pair are far and away Uruguay's dominant forces. Nacional currently trail Penarol in the championships race 49 to 51, but no other club in the country has more than four titles.

13. Flamengo vs Fluminense

The Fla-Flu rivalry has seen Flamengo and Fluminense battle for supremacy of Rio de Janeiro since 1912. There are four major clubs located in the beating heart of football's de facto fatherland, but Fla-Flu is regarded as Brazil's bitterest fixture.

Disgruntled Fluminense members birthed the rivalry by turning a rowing club into one of Brazil's most successful footballing institutions.

The amphitheatre which has long hosted this duel adds a sense of grandiosity, with supporters packing the rafters of the iconic Maracana to get a taste of this spectacle. Some of Brazil's finest have turned up in this duel, namely Romario, Zico and Carlos Alberto, and very rarely does Fla-Flu fail to capture the imagination.

The two Rio rivals have faced off almost 450 times in over a century of toil.

12. Ajax vs Feyenoord

An outsider might not necessarily associate the Netherlands with fearsome rivalries, but De Klassieker doubtlessly ranks among the world's most brutal.

Both Ajax and Feyenoord were founded in the first decade of the 20th century and emerged as the pride and joy of Amsterdam and Rotterdam respectively. The two grand Dutch cities have rarely seen eye-to-eye and football emerged as a manifestation of the rivalry.

The working Rotterdam contrasted the liberal, free-thinking utopia of Amsterdam. This difference in values seeped into resentment after World War II with the industrial Rotterdam battered during Blitzkrieg.

The flashy Amsterdammers were their primary foes post-war and the pair enjoyed a particularly immense rivalry following the foundation of Total Football. Ajax have long been regarded as the revolutionaries and they were ultimately more successful than their great domestic rivals during Dutch football's golden age, but Ernst Happel's great Feyenoord teams can't be overlooked.

This apex was brief and there's no denying the fixture has lost some of its allure, but this is a rivalry that stretches beyond the boundaries of a football pitch.

11. Partizan Belgrade vs Red Star Belgrade

Belgrade's Eternal Derby is right up your street if your concept of a proper rivalry revolves around the likelihood of violence.

Ultra culture has long rendered the on-pitch feud between Red Star and Partizan tame. When the two great Belgrade rivals collide, much of the action occurs in the stands and outside the stadium.

You can't escape politics when discussing the significance of this rivalry. Founded by communists at the end of World War II, Red Star has always been the team of Serb nationalism, drastically contrasting the federalist Partizan, who favoured a unified Yugoslavia. Such fierce ideological differences brought derby's ferocity to life.

The political element may have seeped out of this fixture in modern times, but the importance of the contests in annually deciding Serbia's supreme force renders the Eternal Derby a remarkable spectacle.

10. Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos

A lot of the rivalries have pretty cool monikers and tags, but nothing beats this. Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos: The Derby of the Eternal Enemies.

Oof.

Athens is home to an array of major clubs (pretty much all of Greece's most successful ones) and while the inter-city duels aren't to be missed, there's something utterly unique when the 'eternal enemies' clash.

The sheer ferocity entrenched into the fixture often transcends into anarchy on matchday, with Pana perpetually resenting the club that rocked up on their patch 17 years after their foundation. Social divide talk has been disregarded as outdated, with both clubs regarding their own as 'one for the people' and their rival as 'the team of the state'.

Hatred and violence are rife and many would recommend against taking the family if you ever get lucky enough to enjoy this fixture in the flesh.

9. Al Ahly vs Zamalek

Al Ahly and Zamalek were destined to perpetually battle at the summit of Egyptian football following their respective formations in 1907 and 1911.

The CAF ranked the two Greater Cairo rivals as the first and second greatest African clubs of the 20th century, although Al Ahly dominate on the trophy hauls front. While Zamalek have 14 Egyptian Premier League titles to their name, Al Ahly have a whopping 44!

Al Ahly have been Egypt's supreme force for the best part of a century, but the plucky Zamalek competed with them side-by-side for decades after their foundation. Their initial back-and-forth in the Egyptian capital set the stage for a thrilling rivalry rooted in nationalism.

Dressed in the old red colours of the pre-colonial flag, Al Ahly have historically been recognised as the club of the people. Their red contrasts the white of Zamalek; the team of the foreigner that once celebrated the despised King Farouk.

8. Milan vs Inter

The fixture responsible for providing us with one of football's most indelible images has seen Milan's great two clubs embark on a perpetual battle for bragging rights.

The Derby della Madonnina was born following the breakaway of dissidents who formed Internazionale in 1909 to rival the already-established and successful Milan. The Rossoneri suffered as a result and didn't win their next championship until 1951 while Inter enjoyed immediate success.

There have been violent power shifts in Lombardy ever since the derby's birth, with the two clubs regarded among the most significant in the sport. A rivalry defined by deep-rooted hatred it is not, but very few can top the Derby della Madonnina in terms of its competitive and cultural significance. The house of Milan combines for ten European Cups/Champions Leagues and 39 Serie A titles.

7. Arsenal vs Tottenham

Arsenal invaded Tottenham territory in 1913 following their Woolwich birth, south of the River Thames, and quickly usurped the Lilywhites in north London.

While Spurs enjoyed sporadic (and great) successes throughout the 20th century, they've long been regarded as inferior to their conquering neighbours. Resentment is prevalent and the modern-day social media apocalypse has drifted fan hatred into a new realm.

English football culture means you're not going to get scenes you'd see in Belgrade and Istanbul on matchday, but it doesn't take a genius to work out these sets of supporters do not like each other and such tension persistently manifests on the field.

Arsenal may topple Spurs on the trophy count, but very rarely are the head-to-head duels non-competitive - even when the Gunners were in their Arsene Wenger pomp. The fixtures very rarely disappoint and are regarded by some as the best matches the Premier League has to offer year after year.

6. Man Utd vs Liverpool

The Merseyside and Manchester derbies were viable contenders for this list, but we've opted for history and competitiveness over proximity here. The duel between England's two most successful clubs simply cannot be ignored.

Moreover, this rivalry isn't merely defined by their respective trophy cabinets. Liverpool and Manchester have long been regional rivals, competing against one another economically since the days of the Industrial Revolution.

This inter-city battle has spilt onto the football pitch, with the success of United and Liverpool thrusting the rivalry into a realm of its own. Direct competition between the pair didn't arrive until the 1960s, but the clubs have since enjoyed dynastic reigns at the summit of the English game. Liverpool were the team of the 1970s and 1980s, while United dominated under Sir Alex Ferguson's watch for the first 20 years of the Premier League.

5. Roma vs Lazio

Italy is home to an array of fierce intra-city rivals, but the animosity which pervades the Derby della Capitale is unlike any other in the land of calcio.

Lazio and Roma have fought for the right to represent the Italian capital against the successful clubs of the north for almost a century. Like many fixtures here, the class divisions which once defined the rivalry have dissipated in significance, although political tension doubtlessly remains.

Lazio's infamous ultras veer heavily to the right of the spectrum and have long been regarded as an outright nasty bunch. On matchday, though, both sets of supporters have been responsible for facilitating tragedy.

Violence is rarely avoided when the ultras collide and the rivalry was at the forefront of calcio at the turn of the millennium when both clubs secured Serie A titles in back-to-back seasons.

4. Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce

You'd do well to catch a glimpse of the on-field action if you ever wind up at an Intercontinental Derby in the flesh. Talk about pyrotechnics galore.

It's never a dull occasion when Turkey's two superpowers collide. Since the Super Lig's foundation in 1959, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have combined for 33 titles. The two clubs have finished in the top two 19 times.

Often, this derby is mightily important in shaping the Turkish football season, but the rivalry became so significant for much more than its mere competitiveness. The fixture was once regarded as a battle between Turkish aristocracy (Gala) and bourgeoise (Fenerbahce), but any social gap that once separated the two clubs has been closed for decades.

Still, the innate hatred for one another will never cease in strength. The fixture, spread over two continents, serves as the battle of Istanbul at least twice a year.

3. Celtic vs Rangers

Talk about mutual hatred. Celtic and Rangers despise one another.

The Old Firm is embedded in Scottish culture, with the rivalry transcending the mere boundaries of a football pitch. The pair meet seemingly every month in various competitions, but that doesn't take away from what are always seismic occasions.

The derby's entrenched in politics, religion and sectarianism. There's a great separation between the two Glaswegian clubs. Well, not in distance - a mere 8.8 miles between Ibrox and Celtic Park - but in pretty much everything else. The traditionally Protestant and Republican Rangers have never really seen eye to eye with the Catholic Loyalists of Celtic.

The feud is long-standing and bitter.

2. Barcelona vs Real Madrid

Stroll into Blaugrana heartland and you'll see the odd 'Ronaldo 7' shirt and a fair share of Madrid white. This is not a fixture that's drenched in hatred, but never before has a fixture captured the world's imagination like El Clasico at its scintillating apex.

Pep Guardiola vs Jose Mourinho. Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo. Pepe and Sergio Ramos vs Spanish officials. You just had to be there. It was special.

The antipathy between Barcelona and Real Madrid traces way back to 1905, with the initial on-field bitterness being bolstered by political tension which became prevalent during Francisco Franco's dictatorship.

In modern times, the two clubs have embarked on alternate journeys to achieving greatness and the pair continue to eye the other as a measuring stick for their own success. The two Spanish supergiants bring out the very best and worst of one another.

1. Boca Juniors vs River Plate

The world's greatest rivalry is not merely a Clasico, but a Superclasico!

There are folk bereft of interest in Argentinian football as an entity who are also rapid to place the viewing of this fixture live as a bucket list event. There's nothing quite like it. It'd be a privilege to be present at La Bombonera or El Monumental when Boca Juniors face River Plate.

Forget social and cultural divides - those were mere sparks. This is the ultimate case of two sets of fervent supporters perpetually detesting their fiercest rival. The two great clubs have long battled for not only Buenos Aires' bragging rights, but Argentinian and South American supremacy.

"Attending a Boca-River game, especially at La Bombonera, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. In the stands you can expect anything – from chicken feathers to flying pigs," Martin Mazur of El Grafico explains.

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