Derby della Madonnina

Lore & Background

In the past, Inter Milan (commonly abbreviated to Inter) was seen as the club of the Milan bourgeoisie (nicknamed , a Milanese term meaning 'braggart'), whereas Milan was supported mainly by the working class (nicknamed , meaning 'screwdriver', with reference to the blue-collar worker). Because of their more prosperous ancestry, Inter fans had the 'luxury' to go to the San Siro stadium by motorcycle (, another nickname given to the ). On the other hand, the were also known as or (i.e. able to be transferred to the stadium only by 'tram', or public transport). Today, this socioeconomic divide has largely been mitigated and preference for either club is personal or familial. Taking place at least twice during the year via the league fixtures, this cross-town rivalry has extended to the Coppa Italia, Champions League, and Supercoppa Italiana, as well as minor tournaments and friendlies. It is one of the two major crosstown derbies in association football that are always played in the same stadium, in this case the San Siro, as both Inter and AC Milan call San Siro 'home', the other derby being Derby della Capitale. Though both clubs share this stadium, Inter ultras traditionally occupy the stadium’s northern end (Curva Nord) while Milan ultras occupy the southern end (Curva Sud).

In Their Own Story

The lights of Paycor Stadium shine bright on a crisp November night, but there is no mention of the Madonnina here. Instead, fans in orange and black chant for the Bengals as they battle their true historic foes across the Ohio River or down I-75. The atmosphere is thick with the smell of chili dogs and the roar of an American football crowd, a world away from the San Siro stadium in Milan where the Derby della Madonnina takes place.

Reader's Guide

The first derby match between the two Milanese rivals was held in the final of the Chiasso Cup of 1908, a football tournament played in Canton Ticino, Switzerland, on 18 October of that year; the Rossoneri won 2–1. While Inter and Milan faced each other sporadically in the early years, the rivalry has been renewed annually since the inaugural 1926–27 season of the Divisione Nazionale, the first truly national Italian league. The two teams have played each other at least twice a year since then. Inter won the first Serie A title in 1929-1930, in the first edition of the Italian Football Championship (the third league title for the club after 1910 and 1920). Inter won again in 1938 and 1940 with one of the greatest players of all time Giuseppe Meazza who held the title of top scorer in the Milan derbies until 2005. Between 1928 and 1938 there were 10 victories for Inter, 7 draws and none for AC Milan, the longest period without a win in the history of Derby. In 1951 Milan finally win the first Serie A, and the first league title since 1907 after 44 years. In the 1960s, the Milan derby saw two big stars of Italian football come face-to-face. One of the most representative players of Inter was Sandro Mazzola, the son of former Torino player Valentino Mazzola who, along with most of his Torino teammates, died in the 1949 Superga air disaster after dominating Serie A for four seasons. His Milan counterpart was Gianni Rivera, nicknamed 'Golden Boy' for his talent. This era saw brilliant derby matches and an increasing rivalry: while Milan won the European Cup in 1962–63, Inter with one of the best teams in Italian football history followed with back-to-back success in 1964 and 1965 and with two consecutive Intercontinetal Cup win and with others two European Cup finals played in 1967 and 1972. Milan again won the title in 1968–69. During this successful period for both teams, Milan were coached by Nereo Rocco and Inter by Helenio Herrera, both coaching many notable players. The rivalry continued on the Italy national team, where two players from their respective clubs would often not play together, with one usually being substituted by the other at half-time. Rivera ended up losing the starting line-up to Mazzola in the 1970 final against Brazil, in which Italy was defeated 1–4 by the South Americans. He would later enter in the 84th minute after Italy were already

Did You Know?

• The first derby match was played in Switzerland in 1908.
• Inter fans were historically associated with motorcycles, while Milan fans were associated with trams.
• Giuseppe Meazza held the record for most derby goals until 2005.
• The derby has been played at least twice a year since the 1926–27 season.