AC Milan vs Inter Milan - Top 5 scorers of the Milan derby | Serie A 2021-22

All eyes will be on the San Siro on Sunday as AC Milan and Inter Milan square off in an enticing Derby della Madonnina in Serie A.

The Rossoneri have made their best-ever start to a league campaign with 10 wins from the opening 11 games, so they're naturally the favorites here.

But their city rivals are the reigning Italian champions, and have won five of the last six Milan derbies in the league.

Despite losing some of the key pillars of their fairytale Scudetto triumph last campaign, the Nerazzurri have looked alright in the new season.

With seven wins and just a single defeat, Simone Inzaghi's side are in third place, seven points behind their neighbors.

If anything, their upcoming clash is only guaranteed to be a classic.

Ahead of the mouth-watering kick-off, let's look at the top five scorers in the history of the Milan derby.

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#5 Enrico Candiani - 10 goals

Candiani scored a combined 10 derby goals for both Inter and AC Milan

An Italian legend of 1940s, Candiani spent the entirety of his playing career in his motherland. He represented six clubs during his 15-year career, including both Milan sides.

Naturally, he's among the first players to cross the divide.

He burst onto the scene with the Nerazzurri in 1937. He spent nine years there before joining AC Milan in 1949, via short spells at Juventus and Pro Patria.

A midfielder by trade, Candiani scored a total of 79 league goals for the Milan sides. This included 10 goals in the derby - seven for Inter and three for the Rossoneri.

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#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 10 goals

The Swede has scored eight derby goals for Milan and two for Inter

This man needs no introduction. In a stellar career spanning 21 years and nine different clubs, Ibrahimovic has won league titles almost everywhere in Europe.

It includes three consecutive Scudettos with Inter in the first decade of the century. He scored 57 times for them in the process, only two of which came in the Derby della Maddoninna.

The Swede, however, is more beloved by the Rossoneri, whom he joined for a second spell in January 2020. In eight derbies with them, he's scored eight goals.

#3 Istvan Nyers - 11 goals

Nyers was a Hungarian legend who also made his mark in Serie A

Hungary produced many superstars during the 'Magical Magyars' era of 1950s, but Nyers came well before that. Following a storied career across Europe, he was hailed as one of the best-ever from his country.

Of the many clubs he played for, the late winger became an Inter legend during his six-year spell there. He scored 133 goals in 182 top-flight games, including 11 in the Milan derby.

He's still the non-Italian player with the most goals in the fixture for the Nerazzurri.

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#3 Gunnar Nordahl - 11 goals

Nordahl is Milan's all-time scorer

Widely hailed as one of the greatest strikers of all-time, Nordahl enjoyed the best period of his prolific career at AC Milan. The Swedish footballer scored 221 times in 270 games, still the most in the club's history.

His most notable accomplishment was winning Serie A's Golden Boot a record five times. The Swede produced remarkable goalscoring exploits which kept him in a league of his own.

The striker was no match for Inter, who conceded 11 times to him, including twice in the epic 4-4 draw in the 1948-49 season. No Milan player has ever scored more in the derby than him.

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#2 Giuseppe Meazza - 13 goals

Meazza scored 12 times in ther derby with Inter but only once with Milan

Another legend of the bygone era, the San Siro stadium is even named after Meazza, who represented both Milan teams during his career.

However, the striker played with the Nerazzurri the most, first bursting onto the scene in 1927. He spent the next 13 years there, scoring 282 goals in 391 games.

After leaving in 1940, Meazza never enjoyed the same level of success anywhere, including Milan. He joined them from Inter in 1940 but lasted only two seasons before moving on.

In total, he scored 13 goals in the Milan derby, a record that stood for several decades. But a certain Ukrainian legend of Milan surpassed it in December 2005.

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#1 Andriy Shevchenko - 14 goals

The peerless Ukrainian often delivered in derby games for Milan

Yes, we're talking about Shevchenko, a modern-day Milan great with 322 appearances for the Rossoneri. The Ukrainian won five titles and the 2004 Ballon d'Or during his glorious first spell.

He returned to San Siro following a forgetful three years at Chelsea. But he couldn't recapture his best form, failing to score even once in 18 league appearances during the 2008-09 season.

In his prime though, strikers hardly came any deadlier than him, who scored 14 goals in the Milan derby with the Rossoneri. This is the most in history and the most by a player for a single club.