30 best soccer rivalries in the world

6. AC Milan vs Inter Milan

With such un-Italian roots, the Milan derby is the most recognizable, passionate and festered derby in Italy. Played between two giants of European football, in a stadium which is shared between the two clubs, the conflict is great, the atmosphere tense and the rivalry electric.

Often ablaze with flares, the fixture has contained some of the greatest players in the world with some of the greatest fans in the world. In such a ferocious atmosphere, both teams stake claim to the San Siro being their ‘home’, and with the red and blue halves of the city at odds, the bragging rights of Milan is a prize to behold.

AC Milan was formed in 1899, by a group of English immigrants. But by 1908, qualms were made as to the foreign policies of the club. In search of a club that would welcome internationals, Internazionale was born. Ever since, the great rivalry has raged on, with both clubs earning great success and suffering great disappointment.

Often in competition with Juventus for Italian supremacy, the Milan clubs are tied with 18 titles apiece. The 2000s encapsulated a century of rivalry. Both teams reached the pinnacle of European football, AC in 2007 and then Inter, under the enigmatic Jose Mourinho, in 2010, and both teams have since fallen behind Juventus in the race to be Italian’s number one.

Such a great rivalry, with such a great history is beginning to simmer down in recent years, but if success comes round again, the San Siro will be rocking.