10 greatest football derbies of all time

#1 Superclásico - Boca Juniors vs River Plate

Superclásico - Boca Juniors vs River Plate

If you asked ardent football fans to rank the biggest derbies in football or even the biggest rivalries in football, there will be a lot of debate about the top spots except for the number one spot. Without a hint of doubt, a vast majority will have Superclasico on top of their list.

Boca Juniors and River Plate from Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires, are the two most popular and successful clubs in Argentina. It is estimated that over 70% of the football fans in the country support either of these teams with the ratio in favour of Boca Juniors.

Like many of the other rivalries on this list, this too has origins deeply connected to the different classes of society. That was long ago, now it is a matter of only hate and pride.

Watching a Superclasico is often mentioned as a must have in the bucket list of football fans as the flowing banners, chanting, roars and screams bounce La Bombonera and El Monumental, the home grounds of Boca Juniors and River Plate respectively. However, the beauty of this is often marred by violence, bust-ups and red cards (which is often two per game).

In 246 official games, Boca has won 88 matches while River Plate has won 81 games. On the contrary, River Plate leads Boca Juniors in terms of league titles won 36 to 33 but the latter has six Copa Libertadores titles compared to the former’s three.

In 2018, for the first time in the history of their rivalry, the two teams will play in the final of the prestigious Copa Libertadores and the away fans have been banned to avoid violence.