Italy is a football loving country and has produced some incredible players over the years. When the best Italian derbies in Serie A or in the lower leagues take place, it is always an intense experience.
With Serie A home to some of the best sides in Europe, it's little wonder that many Italian clubs have tens of thousands of die-hard fans, also known as tifosi. Derby games are heated affairs both on and off the pitch. On the stands it's certainly not uncommon for tensions to run high, particularly when trophies are at stake.
Now that Italy have also won Euro 2020, we decided to take a look at the ten biggest derbies in Italian football that have spawned Serie A, B and C over the years and decades.
10. Juventus vs Napoli – The North-South-Derby
Juventus and Napoli meet in the north-south derby in Italy
On number 10 in our list of the top 10 biggest derbies in Italy is the clash between Juventus and Napoli. A Italian nick name was never coined for this derby, but due to the historical sporting rivalry, it is one of the top games in Serie A with large fan camps on both sides.
On the pitch some of Serie A's best players have played against each other; the Juve goalscoring genius Roberto Bettega and Napoli's José Altafini; and the unforgettable Michel Platini and Diego Maradona. Both teams have made great football history and both have glorious pasts. Recently, however, Juventus has been more successful both nationally and internationally than its competitor from Naples.
The north-south divide in Italy has always existed. Some northern Italians like to overlook the south and wish to reverse the 1861 Risorgimento (proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy). To differentiate between north and south one thinks of: industry vs. underdevelopment.
Nothing sums up the differences and problems better than Maradona's quote ahead of the 1990 World Cup semifinals: "I don't like that now everyone is asking Neapolitans to be Italian and support their national team. Naples has always been marginalized from the rest of Italy. It is a city suffering from the most unfair racism."
Much of the enmity between the clubs is rooted in social and sporting history. The south of Italy was very poor. Turin, an industrial center and seat of the Italian royal family, stood in sharp contrast to Naples, a sprawling and chaotic city at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.
Every time Juventus and Napoli meet, these regional identities are accentuated and deep divisions are exposed. And this deep-rooted territorial rivalry often manifests itself, making it one of the greatest rivalries in Italian football.
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9. Derby dell'Appennino – The Appenin Derby
Choreographie Fiorentina Fans
AC Fiorentina and FC Bologna are separated by the Apennine mountains, but the football rivalry between Bologna and Fiorentina is fiercer than many would expect. Both sides have spent long periods in Serie A with varying degrees of success. Due to the geographical proximity, the clashes between the two clubs are very popular with the fans.
However, the derbies have not always been peaceful. In the 1988/89 season, the game in Florence was abandoned when Bologna fans attacked the stadium with Molotov cocktails, seriously injuring several fans. This fueled a deep rivalry between the two fan camps, which continues to this day and creates a very intense atmosphere at the games in Florence's Artemio Franchi Stadium and Bologna's Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
In the previous 142 derbies, AC Fiorentina has won 55 times and FC Bologna 40 times. The Derby dell'Appennino ended in a draw 47 times.
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8. Il Derby della Scala – The Verona Derby
Hellas Verona Tifosi at the Derby against Chievo
Hellas Verona and Chievo Verona compete in the Verona Derby. Since both teams rarely play in the same league, Verona derbies are extremely rare event. They have only faced each other 19 times so far. The derby is also relatively new, as the two clubs only first met in 1994.
The stats are balanced. Both teams have won 7 times and there have been 5 draws. The name of the Verona Derby refers to the noble Scaligeri family, who were rulers of Verona in the Middle Ages.
Hellas, founded in 1903, has traditionally been the main club in Verona. Founded in 1929, Chievo historically represented the small eponymous suburb of Verona with a small community field as their home ground and only became a professional football team in 1986. Chievo then became the tenant of Hellas in the Bentegodi and then began their rise through the Italian lower leagues until they arrived in Serie B in the mid-1990s. In the 1994/95 season, Hellas and Chievo met for the first time.
During the early encounters in Serie B, Hellas supporters taunted Chievo with the chant Quando i mussi volara, il Ceo in Serie A - "Donkeys will fly before Chievo gets into Serie A." After Chievo actiually did get promoted to Serie A at the end of the 2000/01 season, Chiveo fans started calling their team "i Mussi Volanti" (The Flying Donkeys).
In the 2001–02 season, both Hellas and Chievo played in Serie A. Verona's first derby in Serie A was held on 18 November 2001, with both sides finishing in the top four. The game was won by Hellas 3-2. Chievo retaliated in the return leg in Spring 2002, winning 2–1.
7. Derby Della Lanterna – Sampdoria vs CFC Genua
CFC Genoa Fans at the berby against Sampdoria at Marassi stadium
The city of Genoa hosts the oldest of all Italian football derbies - the Derby della Lanterna.This derby takes its name from the Torre della Lanterna, the lighthouse and symbol of Genoa and describes "the battle" between the two clubs Sampdoria and CFC Genoa. It's one of Italy's greatest rivalries and, like Milan, both sides share a stadium: the Stadio Luigi Ferraris - also known as the Marassi.
The first meeting dates back to 1902 when Sampdoria was still known as Andrea Doria. In 1946 Andrea Doria and Sampierdarenese merged as Sampdoria and since then the rivalry with city neighbor CFC Genoa started.
In 104 Serie A, Serie B and Coppa Italia meetings so far, Sampdoria has won 46 times. CFC Genoa won 26 times and the derby ended in a draw 38 times.
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6. Il Derby della Mole - The Mole-Derby
Il Derby della Mole Maulwurf Derby - Juventus vs FC Torino
The rivalry arose after Juventus' first president, Alfred Dick, was kicked out of his club and subsequently founded FC Torino. Although Juventus is the bigger club at national and international level, FC Torino has more support in the city itself.
However, in the 1940s, FC Torino dominated both the city and the Italian Championship, which they won four times in a row. The dominance of FC Torino ended abruptly when almost the entire team and the official team died in a plane crash. Torino was never able to recover from this shock. Only in the 1970s could the club at least keep up a bit. They won the Torino derby 6 times in a row and also the Coppa Italia twice. Otherwise, however, Juventus has the sporting supremacy in Turin.
Off the field, Juventus has become increasingly distant from the fans in their own city. In the beginning, like FC, the working class was also supporting Juventus, but the club management alienated them more and more. In the meantime, it's more the "bourgeois" who count themselves among the fans of Juventus. Most Juve fans these days are not from Turin at all.
The Turin city derby in Serie A has now become a David versus Goliath battle, with FC Torino enjoying the role of the local underdog. In 202 games to date, Juventus has won 89 times. Torino FC has won 56 times and the Torino city derby has ended in a draw 57 times.
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5. Derby Di Sicilia – Sicilian derby
Angelo Massimo Stadium of Calcio Catania and venue for the derby against Palermo
The Sicilian derby between FC Palermo and Calcio Catania is one of the most notorious derbies in Italian football. Even if the clubs on the Italian peninsula are currently at home in the lower football leagues, the rivalries between the fan groups are all the greater and marked by great hatred.
The riots between the two fan sites culminated in 2007 when a police officer was killed. All Italian football was then suspended until the matter was resolved. This resulted in away fans in Sicily being banned from visiting stadiums for several seasons until hostilities calmed down.
Both teams have struggled on the pitch in recent seasons. The teams are now playing in Serie C and hope to make the leap back to Serie A at some point.
On the streets of Palermo, the Sicilian capital, you can often find a slogan spray-painted on the walls that reads "Forza Etna". Forza means "forward" and Mount Etna is the volcano that looms ominously over Catania. It's a profound message from Palermo's Ultras, who urge the island's famous volcano to erupt once more and engulf Calcio Catania. This shows how great the rivalry between the clubs is.
The sporting record of the previous 85 meetings is 26 wins for FC Palermo. Calcio Catania has won the derby 20 times so far. The game ended in a draw 39 times.
4. Derby Del Sole – Derby of the sun
Insigne of Napoli and de Rossi of Roma in the Derby del Sole
When AS Roma meets SSC Napoli, it is called the Derby del Sole in Italy. Located in southern Italy, Napoli is viewed very disparagingly by its northern neighbor, so when Roma and Napoli play each other at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome or the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium (San Paolo) in Napoli, it can be said to be a class struggle.
Cultural differences between southern-based Napoli fans and Roma fans from the capital have led to various riots and travel bans for fans with their respective teams in the past. While such behavior isn't necessarily representative of Napoli and Roma fans, it shows the depth of the rivalry between the two clubs.
The Derby del Sole experienced its historic high point in the 1970s and 1980s when Diego Maradona played for Napoli and was largely responsible for the sporting success of the team from Vesuvius.
Since the first Derby del Sole in 1928, the two sides have met 168 times in competitive matches. AS Roma won 63 times and SSC Napoli 52 times. In 53 cases the game ended in a draw.
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3. Il Derby della Madonnina - The Milan Derby
Il Derby della Madonnina at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan - Inter vs AC Milan
This derby, which takes its name from the statue of the Virgin Mary in Milan's Duomo, is the clash of the city's two giants. Inter Milan and AC Milan know the true meaning of a rivalry. There's a lot going on in this derby: two hugely successful teams, both Champions League winners, two opposing philosophies, a shared stadium and plenty of animosity.
AC Milan was founded in 1899 under the name Milan CFC. Since only Italians were allowed to play for the club, some of the players split off in 1908 and founded the Football Club Internazionale Milano. With the addition of the Internazionale, they wanted to signal openness and show that players from all over the world were welcome.
One of the most important duels in European football and Serie A, the Milan derby is arguably the most internationally famous of all Italian derbies.
Both AC and Inter have huge fan bases, which create an electrifying atmosphere at derby matches at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, unlike anywhere else in Europe. The AC fans are based in the Curva Sud while the Inter fans claim the Curva Nord for themselves.
The Milan derby has been played in almost every competition, from Serie A to the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.
In a total of 228 competitive games so far, AC has won 77 times and Inter 84 times. The game ended in a draw 67 times. There have been many memorable moments over the years, including AC Milan's semi-final win in the Champions League in 2004 or their 6-0 win over city rivals in 2001. Something always happens when the two clubs clash on the sacred pitch of the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in the San Siro district and new football stories are sure to be made as time goes by.
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2. Il Derby d'Italia - The Italian Derby
Il Derby d Italia - Juventus vs Inter Milan
Juventus and Inter Milan devide Italy twice a year. They were the two teams that dominated Italy's first national league and first faced each other in 1909. From that point on, the duels between the two clubs with the largest fanbases in Italy were bitter affairs.
The term Derby d'Italia was first coined in the late 1960s when Inter Milan, which had been very successful up until then, had to concede the championship to their unpopular rivals, just one point behind Juventus. The journalist Gianni Brera spoke of "il Derby d'Italia" because of the dominance of the two teams from northern Italy. Both clubs played consistently in Serie A up until the 2000s before Juventus was forced to relegate in 2006 due to a manipulation scandal.
Juventus and Inter have met 241 times in the Derby d'Italia so far. With 110 wins, Juventus is the clear winner in this comparison. Inter have only won 72 games so far. The derby ended in a draw 59 times.
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1. Derby Della Capitale – The Roman Derby
Derby Della Capitale - AS Roma vs Lazio
The Roman derby between Lazio and AS Roma is certainly one of the toughest derbies in Europe. The games are always a big event in the eternal city and electrifies the tifosi on both sides.
The SS (Società Sportiva) Lazio was founded in 1900 by nine Romans, with football only being added as a sport in 1910. The AS (Associazione Sportiva) Roma was founded almost three decades later in 1927.
The two fan camps of the clubs are characterized by their different political attitudes. The Roma fans are on the politically left-wing spectrum and located in the working-class district of Testaccio in the south of Rome, while the Lazio fans are at home in the middle-class north. The Lazio Ultras are also said to have a connection to the right-wing scene. In the Stadio Olimpico, the Roma fans are at home in the Curva Sud and the Lazio fans in the Curva Nord.
The Roman derby is an intense affair both on the pitch and on the terraces of the Stadio Olimpico. In terms of sport, however, nobody enjoyed these games more than Francesco Totti, who achieved an amazing record in this duel. The Roma legend made 44 appearances against Lazio, scoring 11 goals and establishing himself as a Giallorossi icon - a record unequaled by any other player.
With 66 wins in 178 competitive games, Roma has won the majority of games. Lazio has won the Roman Derby 47 times so far. In 65 encounters there was no winner.
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Über Jörn Lutter
Jörn ist Eigentümer von DIE FUSSBALLREISE. Er gründete 2008 das Unternehmen welches heute unter JL Travel e.K. firmiert.