30 best soccer rivalries in the world

MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 23: Shirts bearing the names of Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid CF are seen on display at a merchandise stall prior to the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 23, 2014 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) /

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GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – FEBRUARY 01: Celtic’s Scottish midfielder James Forrest vies with Darren McGregor of Rangers and Ian Black of Rangers during the Scottish League Cup Semi-Final football match between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park on February 01, 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /

3. Celtic vs Rangers

“When I was growing up, I went to a Catholic school, and there wasn’t one Rangers fan in the entire school. It’s much more mixed now — my boy goes to a Catholic school, and there are maybe five percent Rangers fans now.”

Neil McGarvey, speaking to the NY Times, sums up the separation between two cultures within Glasgow. The rough and ready Scottish city is home to a vicious rivalry. Influenced by social divisions, political differences and religious teachings, the Old Firm rivalry has been a highlight of British soccer. Scottish soccer is the definition of a duopoly, with the Glaswegian pair winning 100 titles between them.

It was 1985 the last time a club outside of Glasgow won the league in Scotland, when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge of Aberdeen. The continual battle between the Old Firm clubs for the honor of Scotland has driven this rivalry to insane proportions.

The complexity of the differences has only added intensity to the rivalry. Celtic and Rangers fans differ on nearly every topic possible, from being Protestant or Catholic to Loyalist or Republican. From being British or Scots-Irish to Conservatism or Socialism. In any walk of life, sectarianism has dominated the fragile relationship between the two halves of Glasgow, and consequently, derby day erupts with violence.

The Old Firm is one of the most violent fixtures in the world, and the passion and intensity the fans hold to their own beliefs is what drives such a ferocious and vicious rivalry.

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