Football is an exciting game. We all have either played football in childhood or watch television. There are two teams in a football, and each group comprises 11 members. All the players run after a ball, but they can’t touch it with their hands or arms. The only goalkeeper is allowed to handle within the permitted area.
Millions of fans love to watch football matches. In Europe, many excellent and reputed football players are famous in the World.
There are so many football clubs in Europe. There is always a competition between two football clubs. Everyone tries to play better in the match, which creates a rivalry. Sometimes a difference in social support bore a rivalry. Winning a game against a rival team makes the victory sweeter.
Here discussion is done on top ten famous European football rivalries.
1. Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
The rivalry is popularly known as ‘El Clasico.’ Whenever two Spanish football giants, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid, meet each other on the football field, a spectacular match is bound to happen. The clubs represent two of the biggest cities in Spain, Madrid, and Barcelona. These two cities have different political Standpoints, as Barcelona stands for Catalan nationalism and Madrid represents Spanish nationalism. With some of the world’s best footballers and a huge fan base, this is one of the biggest European football rivalries.
2. Liverpool vs. Manchester United
Two of the biggest football clubs in English football history, Liverpool and Manchester United, are the most successful domestic and European football ones. The Reds surpass the club from Manchester in terms of having more European championships, but Manchester United has more league titles than Liverpool. Whenever these two teams play, they play for glory and the pride of the club. That’s what makes this one of the biggest European football rivalries.
3. Manchester United vs. Manchester city
Fans call them Manchester Derby. Till now, these two teams have played 185 matches together. In those matches, Manchester won 77 times while Manchester city won 55 times. In earlier days, there was no rivalry between these two teams. The feud began when Manchester United lose the prestigious premier League, which they usually win. That bore a rivalry between these two teams.
4. Paris Saint-German vs. Marseille
Some of the best football action is showcased whenever the two teams from France. The heated rivalry between Paris Saint-Germain from the capital Paris and the Marseille, as the name suggests from Marseille, is known as Le Classique. These two clubs are only two teams from French football to own the major European trophies. Marseille is the city of working-class people, and Paris is the political epicenter of France. That’s why the rivalry is also known as aristocracy’s club vs. The people’s club.
5. Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid
El Derbi Madrileno is the name given to the clash between two teams Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Both the teams are based in the city of Madrid, Spain. The rivalry begins at the beginning of the twentieth century, but the feud reached its peak in 2014 where the two teams met each other in UEFA Champions League Final. It’s the first time when two teams from the same city played each other in the tournament’s finals.
6. Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur
North London is the most famous and fierce derbies in the World. The two teams played for the first time in the year 1887. But at that time, there was no rivalry. The rivalry began between these two in the year 1913. Till now, both the teams have played 189 football matches with each other. They played after joining Football Club. In those matches,78 times, Arsenal became the winner, and 60 times Tottenham is the winner. There was a draw between these two teams 51 times
7. AC Milan vs. Inter Milan
It is one of the derbies where both the teams played on the same ground, San Siro stadium. The match usually took place twice a year due to the league fixture. The game between these two teams is called Derby Della Madonna (Milan derby), in honor of the Virgin Mary’s statue referred to as Madonna. The rivalry is there because, in the initial days, Inter Milan was the club of Milan braggarts, and A.C. Milan was supported mainly by the working-class people.
8. Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich
Any football match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is called ‘Der Klassiker’ in the German language, which means German Classico. The two teams won 22 of the 26 Bundesliga titles, which is the German football league. The rivalry is new compared to the other domestic football rivalries in European football history, but the matches between the two teams never fail to deliver.
9. Roma vs. Lazio
Derby Della Capitale is played between two top Italian football teams, Roma and Lazio. In 1927, Roma was formed to end the dominance of Northern clubs by merging three clubs. Lazio is the only team that could challenge the merged unit, Roma. That’s how the rivalry was ignited. The fans see the rivalry to regain supremacy over the other club as it usually decides who will represent Rome in front of the world.
10. Liverpool vs. Everton
In between 1878 and 1884, Everton used to play at Anfield, but due to some dispute with the then club chairman, John Houlding, the Everton directors bought a new ground at Goodison Park. That’s lead to the formation of a new club called Liverpool FC. The football match between the two clubs is Merseyside derby, also known as ‘Friendly derby’ as in the city where the clubs are located most of the families have both Liverpool and Everton supporters.
Conclusion
Football is an important game worldwide—Europe grips with World famous football Stadiums and players. Rivalry is quite common between two Football clubs in Europe. The match becomes thrilling and nervous for spectators when there is a match between two rival groups. Fans die to watch the game involved with rivalry. The top ten rival football clubs are in detail here. This rivalry between these football clubs is famous in Europe.