World Soccer’s 50 Greatest Derbies

By: Daryl | July 17th, 2008

The July issue of the ever-informative World Soccer magazine has a great front page feature: The 50 Greatest Derbies in World Football. Unfortunately, the full article is unavailable online so you’ll have to get yourself to a shop and dip your hand in your pocket to read it.

But below is the final order WS decided on, 1-50. The final order is always up for argument, and I’m sure there are plenty of derbies left out. Most interesting is that a good chunk of the 50 aren’t “local” derbies. Real Madrid vs Barcelona is number one for example, and though the Manchester derby and the Merseyside derby are both absent, Man Utd vs Liverpool is in at number 28. Also not present, northeast England’s Tyne-Wear Derby.

Read on for the full list, and click on the links to read more about each derby:

1. El Clasico – Real Madrid vs Barcelona (Spain)
2. Superclasico – Boca Juniors vs River Plate (Argentina)
3. The Old Firm Derby – Celtic vs Rangers (Scotland)
4. Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce (Turkey)
5. Ajax vs Feyenoord (Netherlands)
6. Lazio vs Roma (Italy)
7. The Revierderby – Schalke vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
8. Al Ahly vs Zamalek (Egypt)
9. Betis vs Sevilla (Spain)
10. Partizan Belgrade vs Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
11. Marseille vs Paris St. Germain (France)
12. Juventus vs Fiorentina (Italy)
13. Flamengo vs Vasco da Gama (Brazil)
14. Olympiacos vs Panathanaikos (Greece)
15. Milan vs Internazionale (Italy)
16. Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad (Spain)
17. Benfica vs Porto (Portugal)
18. Coirinthians vs Sao Paulo (Brazil)
19. Racing Club vs Independiente (Argentina)
20. America vs Guadalajara (Mexico)
21. Nacional vs Penarol (Uruguay)
22. Pirouzi vs Esteghlal (Iran)
23. Spartak Moscow vs CSKA Moscow (Russia)
24. Steaua Bucharest vs Dinamo Bucharest (Romania)
25. Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
26. Slave Prague vs Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)
27. Corinthians vs Santos (Brazil)
28. Liverpool vs Manchester United (England)
29. Rosario Central vs Newell’s Old Boys (Argentina)
30. Cerro Porteno vs Olimpia (Paraguay)
31. Ferencvaros vs Ujpest (Hungary)
32. AIK Stockholm vs Djurgardens (Sweden)
33. CSKA Sofia vs Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)
34. Genoa vs Sampdoria (Italy)
35. America vs Deportivo Cali (Colombia)
36. Raja Casablanca vs Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)
37. Basle vs Zurich (Switzerland)
38. Rapid Wien vs Austria Wien (Austria)
39. Barcelona vs Emelec (Ecuador)
40. Hajduk Split vs Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
41. Beitar Jersulam vs Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel)
42. Arsenal vs Tottenham (England)
43. Alianza Lima vs Universitario (Peru)
44. FC Copenhagen vs Brondby (Denmark)
45. Anderlecht vs Club Brugge (Belgium)
46. Asec Abidjan vs Africa Sports (Cote d’Ivoire)
47. Sarajevo vs Zeljeznicar (Bosnia)
48. Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal (India)
49. Tenerife vs Las Palmas (Spain)
50. Gremio vs Internacional (Brazil)

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Category: World Football

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mengo

bad bad bad
Flamengo x Fluminense
Santos x Botafogo (in the 60's)
are two of the biggest derbis ever in Brazil and in the world...
Mostafa Taia

Ahly VS Zamalek is the best derby in all world cuz ahly in it ...
the best team in all world
Ahmed Ezzat

Ahly(International) And Zamalek The Best Derbies In Africa , Tomorrow Matchs Between Ahly And Zamalek In Champions League Africa , I advise everyone to watch And Good luck My Favorite team Ahly Egypt
Kurtis

Where is Everton / Liverpool? America / Guadalajara should be ranked higher.
Weston (@wpazzurri)

Milan and Inter are not 15!!!!!!!!!
Rami

Esperance vs. Club Africain. Derby de la Capitale (Tunis, Tunisia). Got some of the best fans, best tifos, best chants and songs. Not surprised its not on there as we're overlooked a lot but in my book it's in the top 20 at least.
Ronald

just noticed Ecuador was mentioned on the list....sweet
Cesar

Where's the LA Galaxy/Chivas derby?? EH!?!
Matt

I'm surprised that Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe isn't in the mix either. I'm also glad a certain term wasn't used for #3.
john

All I can say is that I emphatically agree with the top four, regardless of their order. When I saw the title of this post, those were the exact matches that came to my mind.
dylan

Milan v Inter is #15
John Vatianou

um....inter/ac milan is not even listed? wtf?
dylan

Proudly representing the only team on the list twice: Corinthians. I don't know, teams just get worked up when they have to face the fiel torcida =)

They should've had the derby against Palmeiras instead of Santos, though. Corinthians v Palmeiras is one of the biggest rivalries in South America, no question. Even the players started fighting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Blr Gooner

Steaua vs Dinamo should be no. 1 if fan passion and violence is the only deciding factor.
Musab

Ah yes the Galatasaray-Fener derby. The Turkish delight. The battle of the Bosphorous. Call it whatever you want. No other match (literally) shuts down a nation as that match does.
Ak

A "derby" doesn't mean that the two clubs have to be from the same city. The meaning derives from the Epsom derby and just means a significant sporting event (apparently). Personally, I'd have put the Rangers-Celtic game at number one: it has all the qualities of the Barca-Madrid game (bar the world-class players, of course), except notched up a level of rivalry: there's nothing more passionate than a drunken Scotsman.
SerkanU

if you had seen the Turkish derby Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe , you would have certainly said ''yeah, this is the real derby!''Every match between these teams iscrazy wild and full of excitement ..
9 Champion Leagues

Even though im sure the boca-river must have the best atmosphere and cheerful crowd, barca-madrid share the biggest rivalry of all teams. Both spanish teams share rejection towards one another ever since the civil war. The camp nou was known as a symbolic place to cherish the catalan culture and speak the language due to the franco oppression, which gave birth to the infamous phrase that is inmortalized at the stadium stalls "Mes que un club".

Madrid is considered the icon that oppressed barcelona, franco was known to be a madridista and there are many legends that the dictator controlled all tournaments in favor of Real. When barca beats madrid, the cules will feel a little sting of republican pride as opposed to the madridistas who will boast of "united" cause against the independentists. The rivalry is very present today, every match is filled with adrenaline and healthy hate...if that makes sense at all.

The rivalry dates back to the 16th century when the Count Duque of Olivares increased the tax rate among all states to keep up with the war expenses, the catalans enjoyed an aristocratic state to which they werent going to give up, after many unsettling guerrilla battles, the catalans finally allowed napoleon through the gates to take over spain. This has divided the country up until now, the civil war also had its share under the same cause. Its basically a tale of two cities, madrid, a central state under the notion of a united country opposed to barcelona, a city that seeks independence to enjoy their wealth instead of staying solidary in paying taxes to relieve the poorer states. All this resumed in a simple football match.
Greg

"Lists" have to be the single most effective debate / conversation starter in the world. If I were single again I'd probably try to pick up chickies at a bar by throwing a list at them of the top five positions I'd like to use in the sack or the top five things I find attractive about them. I'd be guaranteed to be talking to them instantaneously. On the other hand, I've also learned that women + talking = trouble, so maybe a list as a pick up device ain't such a good idea.
als

it would have to Liverpool v Everton, because ManU is NOT in the same city (ManU vs. ManCity)
DM

More like rivalries than derbies ...
Rob

Nothing on earth like the Bristol Derby*

*Probably only true if like me you're from the west country...
huskynation

What a stupid list. How can you call Marseille vs PSG a derby? Not even in the same city. Liverpool vs Man U? They should try again and limit it to derbies? Forest vs Derby is a good one. Bristol City vs Rovers. etc.
Leonardo

Does anyone know what was the criteria they used to create this list?
Chubby

Yevy, historically CSKA VS Dynamo, was THE derby of Moscow. And if talking about Spartak, then the craziness was aloof when Dynamo Kiev was is town (and vice versa). But those rivalries are forgotten. On the other hand these other derbies that you and magazine mentioned, are too new to be picked up.
It always happen when you try to find 50 interesting match-ups, some of them (most) just scratching the surface of any real derby monumentality.
Ranjeet

Juve-Fiorentina bigger then the Milan Derby? Which moron made this list.
Reynaldo

I think that Boca-River is the biggest but i miss the Chilean Clasico Colo Colo v/s Universidad de Chile.second best in South america
Shazback

11 - OM vs PSG...

That's not even an interesting derby. It never was. It was an overhyped game for about ten years. Go back to the 80s and poof, no rivalry or anything. Neither club has been particularly successful in continental competitions (Wow, one european cup each? Tell Milan and Madrid to buckle up!) nor in domestic competitions (8 leagues for OM, including four in succession between 1989 and 1992, and a miserly two titles for the other...).

How can they have the balls to put it anywhere near games of real passion like Split vs Zagreb, Liverpool vs Everton, River vs Boca, Atletico vs Real, Arsenal vs Tottenham or so many other games where not only do both teams have long and successful histories, but also real cause for rivalry... And not just be the result of a hype.

Look at Paris's last ten seasons. Only three times have they finished better than eighth... And Marseille? Only three times below eighth.

Their rivalry is about as interesting as that between Aston Villa and Newcastle, minus the fact that both these clubs have history that goes before 1970...
Steven

Do they play football in Poland?

I'm missing Palermo - Catania.
Jacek

and what about Polish great derby games?
Wisla Krakow - Cracovia Krakow?
Or Lech Poznan - Legia Warsaw, also known as Derby of Poland?
Tamim

glad to see cairo rivals among the best, but i thought derbies are between teams from the same CITY!!!!!
Kent

Boca v. River? One to be argued for sure, but certainly NOT at monumental. The fans are 30 yards off the pitch and (at least when I was there) there's a subtle moat and a fence at the base of the stands (i.e. they're even further away). The Bombonera is the place to have it...and that comes from a Racing fan. (By the way, Racing v. Independiente should be a bit higher.)

I guess that all this depends on the furor and fervor of each derby. Real v. Barca's historic, but tame compared to Argentina, Brazil, Turkey and a host of other top derbies. A good list though.
Yevy

Spartak vs CSKA is #23 but no Dynamo Kiev vs Shakhtar Donetsk? Pshhhhh....
frem

agree michel. Sure they dont have the same level of players as barce v madrid but the atmosphere is much better. Also think inter vs ac should be higher since those games are quite good as well. fener vs galatasaray are awesome because turks are crazy.
Chubby

As for Italian derbies, Juve - Inter is the famous one - Derbi D'Italia.
Michel-Olivier

for me it's Boca Juniors vs River Plate when they play at the el monumental. great atmosphere and great football.
j

lol, thats beautiful Mauro. What were we thinking -
Mauro

I just have one think for all of you to see.

Go here.

http://wikipedia.org/

Type in Superclasico. (For those of you who can't spell just copy and paste.)

That's all I have to say.

Thank you very much. Local derbies.... pfffttt.
j

I'm definitely too old but how could a Football publication forget Leeds v Man Utd? And good thing Millwall v West Ham are getting along so well too.
ben

@Laurie: awesome.
Laurie

What? No Galaxy vs. Chivas? But...but that's the SUPERClasico!! ;-)