This is a list with the top 10 football derbies in Europe, each with a little history and some graphical information. To make it clear a derby is a match between teams from the same city, so no, Barcelona - Real and such other very important and fascinating games will not be on the list. I will focus more on the rivalry and not really on international results.
1. Fenerbahce - Galatasaray, the derby of Istanbul, a city split up in two sides, one in Europe and one in Asia.
Always a very spectacular match as these two teams always go for the title, and if the game might get boring at times, the atmosphere in the stadium will not fail to impress you, the clip will say more than I can say in words.
2. AS Roma - Lazio Roma Il derby Capitolino, from the city of Rome is probably the most political derby on the list, left vs right.
Two teams that aren't really full of trophies but in a city as big as Rome there is adrenaline and lots of chaos before the start of the game. The political factor plays an important part in this one and that is maybe what makes this derby so intense.
3. Celtic FC - Rangers FC also named The Old Firm derby, from the city of Glasgow, one of the oldest in the world and all about religion, Catholics - Protestants.
A game full of hate mainly because of the religious history of the match, Celtic having Irish roots (hence the colors) and thus being Catholic and the conservative Rangers see themselves as more Scottish and protestant. I'm sure you know about all the religious problems in Ireland, well it seems that Glasgow has also been influenced, and in a strong way.
4. Olympiakos Piraeus - Panathinaikos Athens The Eternal Enemies, probably one of the most intense matches in the stands.
If you want great atmosphere and great football then this is a game that you should not miss. With a lot of investments made in football in recent history, Greek football is sure to catch up with the western part of Europe.
5. Red Star Belgrade - Partizan Belgrade the Veciti Derbi, always a very violent match in which wounded policemen is not something rare.
As I already mentioned this is probably the most violent match from this list, arrests, injured and even casualties every time the match is played.
6. Arsenal FC - Tottenham Hotspur the North London derby, probably the most important rivalry in England a country full of local derbies.
First match in 1887, I don't really have a reason why I consider this match the most important in English football but I love it, so much passion.
7. AC Milan - Internazionale Milano Derby Della Madonnina, the match in which the best teams from Milan fight for glory and prestige.
Maybe the most followed derby from the list around the world, 2 teams with great history and even greater prestige. It might not appeal to everyone because of all the tactics that Italian football teaches but nonetheless a match that I hope to see live in this lifetime.
8. Benfica - Sporting Lisbon the O Clássico, the derby of the capital city between teams with a lot of trophies.
Huge trophy rooms and huge support for the two teams from the capital city of Portugal. The stadiums will surely be full when these two teams go head to head and as EURO 2004 was held in Portugal they both have new and beautiful stadiums. Estadio da Luz for Benfica and Jose de Alvalade for Sporting.
9. Spartak Moscow - CSKA Moscow teams with a lot of support in Russia not only the capital.
Spartak has won about everything in Russia in the ninetees but recently CSKA has made up ground by winning the League in 2002 and 2006. There is a lot of money invested in Russian football and that is making them go further in Europe, like Zenit winning the UEFA Cup and the national side doing an impressive job at EURO 2008. Be sure to watch this one.
10. Dinamo Bucharest - Steaua Bucharest the Great Derby, a rivalry that started in the communist era and was basically the Police vs Army.
With both teams founded in the communist regime they always had the support of politicians and generals, basically all the good players were playing for them and the national side was a mix. This has made the derby quaite decesive for winning the League and most people from Romania picking one of them to support. With two romanian teams in the UEFA Champions League this year (CFR Cluj and Steaua) it seems that the quality of the football is on the rise and you also should follow the explosive fans in the stands.
Great post. The Old Firm derby is always a scorcher. Calmed down in the last couple of years since Neil Lennon retired. Back as coach though
ReplyDeleteJust to let you know its Rangers-protestants Celtic-Catholic
ReplyDeletewhat about man city..man united?
ReplyDeleteand what about dinamo zagreb-hajduk split
ReplyDeleteHahaha, two teams from nazu country. they are poor!
DeleteDunk,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, searched a while to find some good videos on youtube for every derby, also thanks for picking out my mistake, I corrected it now.
Manchester City - Manchester United, great game but not in my top ten.
Dinamo Zagreb - Hajduk Split, well I mentioned in the first paragraph that I will only choose matches with teams from the same city, great game nonetheless.
I am a diehard italian football fan, i support AC Milan but let me tell u that derbies in italy are more intence and passionate than anywhere,you can hardly see that in epl matches. no posters no flags no flares there is only money no passion
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy the atmosphere created by the Italian ultras but if flares and flags are not allowed on the stadium that does not mean passion is not there.
hey man i love the list....
ReplyDeletemy favorite is the milan derby, but the Istanbul derby really was an eye opener....
http://ilmondodicalcio.blogspot.com
tomorrow is the day of the 1st one...
ReplyDeleteCIM BOM vs. fenerbostan in Ali Sami Yen / Istanbul.
Hajduk(Split) against Dinamo(Zagreb)...definitly one of the hardest derbies. Between,Hajduk's supporters are the oldest organized firm in Europe!
ReplyDeleteWhat about LIVERPOOL - Everton?
ReplyDeleteIt is the biggest derby in England with a big history, that others don"t have.
YOU "LL NEVER WALK ALONE
this posta sucks, what about SEVILLA vs BETIS????? the bloodiest derby ever, ESPANYOL vs BARCELONA, LIVERPOOL vs EVERTON, CITY vs UNITED... you missed too much, jesus, you dont know shit about football
ReplyDeleteWhat a load of rubbish this post is.
ReplyDeleteWhat about AIK vs Djurgården in Sweden? Might not be the most talked about clubs, but to find more passion combined with hate you would have to go to a game in Turkey.
ReplyDeleteschalke v dortmund the real derby
ReplyDeletehearts v hibs great capital derby,very passionate unlike glasgows bigots.
ReplyDeleteyeah went to schalke v dortmund last year been to a few big derbies but that was amazing,non stop noise.
ReplyDeleteTrying to find out what the oldest derby in Europe/World is. Hibs v Hearts was 1875
ReplyDeleteYou forgot Sunderland vs Newcastle.
ReplyDeleteSarajevo Horde Bog i Carsija ;)
ReplyDeleteOLYMPIAKOS+Red Star Belgrade=ORTHODOX BROTHERS
ReplyDeletepaok-ares :P
ReplyDeletefucking biast with the celtic vid twat
ReplyDeleteHereford vs Shrewsbury
ReplyDeletewhat about Sunderland nd Newcastle???
ReplyDeletewhere is HAJDUK Split : DINAMO Zagreb ????
ReplyDelete(torcida hajduk fans the oldest football fans in europe) and ( bad blue boys dinamo fans)
Stupid do you know to read even? Guy said from SAME city! and, no that fans are not oldest in Europe, because of simple fact that there is hundreds of oldest clubs in Europe... hahahah sit down.
DeleteTorcida Split is oldest football firm in Europe!!
DeleteRangers v Celtic will always be the most passionate and intense derby EVER. The history behind the derby, Whet it means to the supporters. It is the biggest and most amazing derby to watch.
ReplyDeleteyou joking... arsenal and tottenham is a bigger game than manchester united vs liverpool, real vs barca and i would even go as far to say that shefield have a much bigger rivalry
ReplyDelete"I am a diehard italian football fan, i support AC Milan but let me tell u that derbies in italy are more intence and passionate than anywhere,you can hardly see that in epl matches. no posters no flags no flares there is only money no passion"
ReplyDeleteare you tacking the piss!! people die because of derby day results. there is soo much passion in our game... y do you think england fans are the only team that sing at the world cup. italian football is some of the most boring football i have seen.
Good one boyo... just The last is not the list. STEAUA-dinamo from bucharest is the best from Europe... Steaua fans are the best.. Nucleo, Sud, Vacarm, Insurgentii, Triada etc.
ReplyDeletePartizan Belgrade - Red Star Belgrade
ReplyDelete''As I already mentioned this is probably the most violent match from this list, arrests, injured and even casualties every time the match is played.''
ARIS VS paok
ReplyDeleteJUST BEST
F.C. ARIS SALONICA
ReplyDeleteyour first video has been deleted. Could you please add it again.. thanks.
ReplyDeletewww.fantoto.com
Lazio-Rioma is the best derby in the World and I would have PAO-Olympiakos second. I love the flars, smoke, banners, racism, politics and violence in the derby della capitale. Too bad that asshole Maroni is going to ruin it with the Tessera law. FORZA LAZIO
ReplyDeleteThis is ridiculous. What about Torquay v Exeter? Flares, smoke, banners, racism, politics and violence. Intense.
ReplyDeletewhat about ayr utd vrs kilmarnock!! twats haha
ReplyDeletethe tyne wear derby is second only to the glasgow derby in europe
ReplyDeletePartizan Belgrade - Red Star Belgrade is surely the most violent match in Europe. In my high school kid kill another with knife because he was wearing Red Star's scarf. Believe me, in Belgrade don't weare anything that will show what club you support. There is no part of city that belong to Red Star or Partizan fans, they are mixed all over Belgrade
ReplyDeleteThere is only one team in Glasgow and it's Rangers the worlds most successful club;making the old firm the greatest city derby in the world bar none
ReplyDeleteIts hard to compare different derbies since they all have their own history. You would probably have to rank i.e the most violent (Red Star vs Partizan), the noisiest (Shalke vs Dortmund), the craziest (Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce) and so on. One thing though is clear, don't go to England or Spain if you want crazy arena atmosphere and especially Barcelona (worst fans ever). If you want bengals, tifos, organized singing and a feeling that anytime it could be war you have to go somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the idiot who July 9, 2010 6:11 AM wrote -ManU-ManC and Barca-Real.. Thats no f*cking derbies!
Heja AIK!
I BELIEVE THAT MILLWALL-WEST HAM MUST BE IN THE LIST
ReplyDeletei am united fan i england derby is liverpool everton
ReplyDeletewhere is boca juniors and river plate.that is arguably the biggest derby
ReplyDeleteWHERE IS MILLWALL-WEST HAM? ...from S.S LAZIO supporter
ReplyDeletehahaha, i could name about 30 derbies bigger than Arsenal v Tottenham ... but mainly Everton - Liverpool not only one of the biggest derbies in Europe, but the world.
ReplyDelete" Ultras Red Blue said...
ReplyDeleteGood one boyo... just The last is not the list. STEAUA-dinamo from bucharest is the best from Europe... Steaua fans are the best.. Nucleo, Sud, Vacarm, Insurgentii, Triada etc."
The best?:))
REMEMBER 10 MAY 1997!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMNizCqzr3k
DINAMO fans(Nuova Guardia) have burned your stadium!!!
Liverpool v Everton hands down in EPL.
ReplyDeleteAlso Milwall-West Ham. Sparta v Slavia in Prague is intense too, but not top 10.
CRACOVIA VS WISLA! BOTH KRAKOW TEAMS WERE FORMED IN 1906...DURING THE COMMUNIST TIMES WISLA WAS A TEAM CONNECTED TO THE PARTY AND COMMUNIST POLICE...WHILE CRACOVIA NEVER WORKED WITH COMMIES AND THUS FELL INTO LOWER LEAGUES..
ReplyDeleteON 04.11.11 WE WON WITH WISLA PIPGS 1:0 AFTER 28 YEARS..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT9fbUYMvso
Good for you :)
ReplyDeleteWhat about Birmingham City Vs Aston Villa?
ReplyDeleteVery Violent!!!
Keep Right On Till The End Of The Road
Shit On The Villa
It sure is, but that is not enough for a top 10 place.
ReplyDeleteGuys , stop whining there are many big derbies in europe. I am from australia and I can tell u I saw one day a panathinaikos vs olympiakos game. It was stunning! CRAZY!! The atmosphere was Fantastic! Flares, chanting, passion everything! As far as it concernes the game, it was brilliant football. I never expected greek league teams to play that well! Awesome match, pleasure to watch!
ReplyDeleteOoooo...guys...
ReplyDeleteWhen enyone of you visit Večiti Derbi, between RED STAR and partizan, then you will see what is the real derby. In Belgrade on the match day people, who often together drink coffee, fight if enyone says something bad for their club. In Serbia and Bosnia there is no other clubs apart from these two. Remember my words....
Guys,you dont have idea of what a Sporting Benfica game is. The rivalry is something that cant be described, in the last game, sporting clans burned benfica stadium,(i was there).
ReplyDeleteIf you like clans and great vibes, search Juventude Leonina- Juve Leo, one of the best in the world no doubts.
celtic v rangers, millwall v west ham united, sunderland v newcastle, swansea v cardiff, birmingham v aston villa, hibernian v heart of midlothian (hearts v hibs) dundee v dundee united. now whoi said the uk does not have fierce, passionate and intense derbies! each one of these are great derbies.
ReplyDeleteFENERBAHÇE
ReplyDelete12 MART 2012 - BEKLİYORUZ...6alata5aray, tostunuz yemeden aç karınla gelin "FOREVER FENERBAHÇE"
ReplyDeleteCSKA - SPARTAK is really amazing derby. Every match devide country on red-blue and red-white! there r 60 thousands real fans on the stadium.. after match fighting... so on
ReplyDeleteThe North London derby and other UK derbies are always so heated, the Old Firm Derby that is coming up on Sunday 25th April and which is probably the latest will be under high scrutiny I guess... great infographic on UK football rivalries here http://blog.hotelclub.com/united-kingdom-greatest-football-rivalries/
ReplyDeletei don't understand why Manchester United vs Manchester City is not on their??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????vvvv????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
ReplyDeleteolympiakos gate 7
ReplyDeletelazio vs roma is the graziest derby in europe !!
ReplyDeleteErm norwich ipswich? Old farm derby!!!! Yelloooooooooows!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteeverton liverpool....simple
ReplyDeleteGalatasaray - Fenerbahce games are being replaced by Besiktas - Fenerbahce because Gala-Fener has a fixed result which Fener always wins. Both the atmosphere and the tension on the ground is way better in Besiktas-Fener games. I watched Besiktas-Stoke in Inonu and the support was insane, no such atmosphere in England or anywhere in the world. The chants are still blowing in my ear. I support Besiktas in Europe after my lovely Stoke
ReplyDeleteAmazing! Not one mention of the Vienna Derby - FK Austria Wien vs. SK Rapid Vienna. Awesome and passionate rivalry!
ReplyDeletedoes anyone else think some of these people are off their face. newcastle-sunderland?? everton-liverpool?? manu-manc?? good games of football, true, except for newcastle-sunderland, but not massive derbies. liverpool-everton is called the friendly derby for a reason-its calm. its about not getting teased at work monday, not like in turkey, italy, greece, where its actual, vicious, feirce derbies. don't moan about your team not getting in- I'm a Norwich fan. the old farm derby aint violence, worst ive seen is someone angrily pushing over a bin. an empty bin. only english match with a hope or prayer of being considered is west ham-millwall
ReplyDeleteSteaua vs Dinamo Bukarest, the biggest east european derby !!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust trying to strighten up a bit. We have to consider soooo many things when we talk about the best derbies in europe. And FYI, the recent qualities of both team who compete in a derby are not considered to be the only idea of how great a derby is. A great derby should be rated upon its historical values. We should take the political, economical, religious, violence, and of course, passion values into account. Therefore, a great derby should contain a traditional enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteFor example, we can't argue that Man. United and Man. City have been performing some epic matches since several years ago, but it lacks of historical values compared to other derbies. That is different than Derby della Capitale; Roma and Lazio simply are not the best club in Europe (even in Serie A), but they have so many things to perform a great derby, political history, hatred, passion, mass violence, and so on.
For me, this list is pretty legit but highly subjective, I choose Roma vs Lazio as the thoughest derby in Europe. (:
Wolves - Albion?
ReplyDelete