Ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby we look at ten of world football's most renowned cross-town rivalries.
A look at ten of world football's most renowned cross-town rivalries
Ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby we look at ten of world football's most renowned cross-town rivalries.
From Rio to Rome, Cairo to Glasgow, these are the matches that matter most to fans as neighbourly bragging rights go up for grabs.
10. Al-Ahly v Zamalek (Cairo)
The Cairo derby sees Africa's two most successful clubs lock horns in an almighty contest viewed by thousands. Al-Ahly and Zamalek were named as the top two African clubs of the 20th Century by Confederation of African Football. The duo - located in Greater Cairo - do battle in what is always a tense and highly-charged encounter. So heated are the meetings that a foreign referee is drafted in to officiate. In Egypt, 1966 is remembered for a different reason to that of England's World Cup win after a controversial penalty sparked riots which caused serious damage to Zamalek's main stadium and the burning of a factory near the ground.
9. Sevilla v Real Betis (Seville)
While Barcelona v Real Madrid is undoubtedly the biggest rivalry in Spain, the most passionate cross-town showdown is probably found in the southern footballing hotbed of Seville. Fans are either red or green, Sevilla or Real Betis. Like many of the rivalries on this list, the two arch enemies came into being after a breakaway from one of the clubs lead to the creation of the other. Sevilla FC had originally been formed in 1905 by a mixture of local enthusiasts and British ex-pats who had first introduced the game to the area - hence the club being known as Sevilla FC rather than CF like most Spanish sides. Betis, or Real Betis Balompie to give them their full title, came into being some nine years later having joined forces with another Sevilla FC splinter group, Sevilla Balompie. Matches between the two provoke genuine hostility and the animosity has spilt over several times in recent years; notably when a Sevilla fan ran on to the pitch to confront Betis goalkeeper Toni Prats in 2002 and when Sevilla coach Juande Ramos was struck by a bottle thrown from the stands in 2007.
8. Flamengo v Fluminense (Rio de Janeiro)
Brazil, as seems only right for a football-obsessed country, hosts numerous raucous derby clashes with Gremio-Internacional and Sao Paulo-Corinthians two of the very biggest. But it's Rio de Janeiro's cross-town "Fla-Flu" match-up between Flamengo and Fluminense that gets our nod. The rivalry between the two was born in October 1911 when a group of disaffected players left Fluminense and pitched up at Flamengo sports club which, at the time, had no football department. The first-ever contest between the two took place the following year with Fluminense emerging 3-2 victors in front of 800 people. In the years that followed the clash would become a national and international spectacle with tens of thousands crammed into a packed Maracana to watch a contest that is as vibrant on the terraces as it is on the pitch.
7. Galatasaray v Fenerbahce (Istanbul)
Turkey's two most successful clubs engage in an enthralling and heart-thumping derby, with some fans regarding the result of the meeting more important than their final Super Lig standing. It is suggested Fenerbahce, situated on the Asian side of the Istanbul Strait, were primarily supported by the working class with Galatasaray followed by the affluent. It is reported that in 1934 the first friendly match
