Italy’s fiercest football rivalries

Derby della Madonnina (AC Milan vs Inter Milan)

The rivalry between AC Milan and Inter Milan is one of the fiercest in Italy and one of the world’s most iconic football matches. Their rivalry, however, mainly stays on the pitch as they usually fight for trophies. In 1983, the two most influential ultras groups of both teams also agreed to stop the violence between the two sides, which definitely helped calm down the tensions. 

Derby della Capitale (AS Roma vs Lazio Roma)

There is a famous saying about the Derby della Capitale: ‘’In Milan you talk about the derby for a week, in Rome for a year.’’ The derby between the two clubs from the capital is by far the most heated rivalry in the country and is filled with clashes between both fanbases as they battle for bragging rights. Historically, Lazio is the team of the upper class, whereas AS Roma is a working-class club. The political views of both clubs are also very different. Lazio ultras used to use fascist symbols on their banners and have often shown racist behaviour. The rivalry also had the first-ever fatality in Italian football due to violence in 1979 when a Lazio fan was hit in the eye and killed by a flare fired by a Roma fan in the stadium. 

Derby della Laterna (Genoa vs Sampdoria)

The local derby between Genoa and Sampdoria is perhaps one of the most atmospheric football derbies of the year. On the pitch, both clubs from Genoa fight to be the best club in the city. In the stands, the fans try to impress with their flags, banners and songs. John van ‘t Schip who played four seasons for Genoa once said: ‘’Both fan clubs save money for months to make this game a big happening as they try to envy the other fanbase with their flags and banners.’’ The derby is also the favourite of manager Marcello Lippi. ‘’I was lucky to experience some of the biggest derbies, but the one from Genoa is unique. The aggression and hate that you feel at other games is not here, hence why it’s one of the most pleasant derbies to attend. It’s a very special game full of colour and passion.’’ 

Derby d’Italia (Juventus vs Inter Milan)

The Derby of Italy is considered to be the equivalent of Spain’s El Clásico. It’s a match between two of the biggest teams from the Northern part of the country. Throughout history, Inter Milan and Juventus have been competing for the league title. It became even bigger after the Calciopoli scandal, which led to Juventus being stripped of their title and relegated to Serie B. Afterwards, Inter Milan was awarded the league title, but Juventus still considers that title to be theirs. 

Derby del Sole (Napoli vs AS Roma)

The Derby del Sole (Derby of the Sun) is a battle between the two most popular football clubs outside of Northern Italy. It is called the Derby of the Sun given the good relationships between both fanbases in the past as they were both trying to beat the rich, arrogant and successful football clubs from the North. Their friendship was unheard of in Italian football and a unique sight in the sport as the derby was more of a celebration of friendship. Before the start of every derby, Napoli fans would chant for AS Roma and the Roma fans would chant for Napoli. But their friendship started to change when Napoli bought Diego Armando Maradona and both clubs were getting better and started to compete for the title. 

In 1987, the unique friendship officially came to an end when AS Roma’s representative walked away during their traditional flag exchange which both clubs used to do before every derby. This resulted in a heated and intense match that would change the course of history forever. Their rivalry escalated even further before the Coppa Italia final of 2014 when Napoli ultra Ciro Esposito was shot and killed by Roma ultra Daniele De Santis. 

Other rivalries

Besides these five derbies, Italian football also hosts plenty of other intense derbies and rivalries, including the Derby della Molle (Juventus vs Torino), the Derby dell’Appennino (Bologna vs Fiorentina), the Derby di Sicilia (Palermo vs Catania), and the tense rivalry between Napoli and Juventus. 

Are you interested in learning more about fierce rivalries in other countries? We’ve also curated a list of the most intense rivalries in Spain.