Without wishing to tempt fate, Manchester City against Real Madrid on Wednesday should bring drama and skill in equal measure if their recent encounters are anything to go by.
This rivalry is thoroughly modern – this will be their 12th Champions League meeting since 2012 – and I hope we see the same level of entertainment in the quarter-final second leg, with the score drawn at 3-3.
Rivalries that regularly bring us great competitions may focus on managers’ characters, star players, or a controversial moment from a previous match. Either way, they can be time-limited or long-lasting. Manchester United versus Arsenal, for example, often decided the destination of the Premier League title while Liverpool and Newcastle, for a time, seemed to only play each other in 4-3 matches. As for Argentina v England as an international match, it has history and “background”.
With that in mind, we asked some of our writers about their favorite rivalries that, at one time or another, guaranteed an exciting game. Feel free to add yours to the comments section below.
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Manchester United and Arsenal
For those who haven’t experienced it, it’s difficult to explain the extent to which this rivalry dominated and defined the Premier League landscape in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
It wasn’t just about the best teams in the country, competing for the biggest prizes. They hated each other: Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger; Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira; Gary Neville and Robert Pires; Ruud van Nistelrooy and Martin Keown.
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Sparks flew. The punches flew. Even the pizzas flew, for goodness sake. There have been moments of brilliance: Ryan Giggs’ solitary goal in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park, Thierry Henry’s audacious shot on the turn in 2000.
And the unsavory stuff – so many red cards, so many fights and accusations from the FA, the “Battle of Old Trafford” in September 2003, the so-called “Battle of the Buffet” in October 2004, the “I I’ll see you outside” by Keane. there is an exchange with Vieira in the Highbury tunnel in February 2005 – which adds to the drama.
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Some of what happened – the challenges on the pitch, the various outbursts in the tunnel, the barbs exchanged at managers’ press conferences – crossed the finish line, but the rivalry emerged with an intensity and ferocity unmatched in the Premier League in the two decades that followed. Sometimes it bordered on toxic. God only knows how it will go on social media if the Premier League ever comes up against another rivalry as deeply antagonistic as this one.
Oli Kay
“When Madrid play Barcelona, the world stops,” José Mourinho said in 2012 – and for once, it wasn’t hyperbole from the then Real Madrid coach.
For over a decade, El Clasico was the biggest game in football, as teams full of superstars faced off in a series of thrillers.
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There were blows like Pep Guardiola’s Barça’s 6-2 victory at the Bernabeu in late February 2009, and Mourinho’s Madrid’s 5-0 defeat at the Camp Nou in November 2010.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘calm’ gesture at the Camp Nou after scoring a winner in April 2012 was iconic. Just like Lionel Messi took off his shirt to show his name to the Bernabeu crowd after his 92nd minute winner in April 2017.
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Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Iker Casillas, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Karim Benzema also had unforgettable moments.
Recent years have also brought their share of drama – and Sunday at the Bernabeu probably will again – but the golden age of the Clasico was incomparable.
Dermot Corrigan
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid
Bayern Munich versus Real Madrid has been a high-octane duel of continental heavyweights since the first iteration of the match in 1976, a European Cup semi-final that saw Madrid striker Roberto Martinez clash with Bayern goalkeeper Sepp Maier and a Madrid supporter hit the referee in the Spanish capital. .
A friendly 9-1 humiliation of the Spaniards in Munich (1980) and Bayern leaving the field in protest after a wave of red cards at the Trofeo Santiago Bernabeu (1981) further fueled the animosity before Juanita was sent off for kicked Lothar Matthaus. header in the semi-final of the 1987 European Cup and Hugo Sanchez left a mark on Jean-Marie Pfaff’s ribcage during the second leg. Real Madrid took their revenge by winning the next meeting in the quarter-finals a year later.
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Hostilities resumed and intensified over a period of seven years which pitted the Madrid of the Galactico era against the German record holders no less than 10 times. Bayern boss Uli Hoeness called Spanish rivals a ‘circus’, while Oliver Kahn went from hero (2001 semi-final) to villain (2004 round of 16, a big mistake) and refused to exchange jerseys with Casillas. Former Barcelona midfielder Mark van Bommel endeared himself to the Bernabeu crowd with a crude gesture in 2007.
“bestia negra” these days.
Raphael Honigstein
England and Argentina
There have only been five competitive encounters between England and Argentina and yet there have been many iconic moments.
This encounter earned us both the goal of the century and an act of grand larceny. In the same game. By the same irrepressible player.
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THE The hand of God could tarnish Diego Maradona’s legacy in the consciousness of English football – and particularly in that of Peter Shilton – but the majesty of his other goal four minutes later should be the lasting memory of one of the greatest of all time.
Maradona’s antics only reinforced the impression in English minds that Argentina would stop at nothing to win, established in 1966 after the tumultuous World Cup semi-final when Sir Alf Ramsey prevented his players to exchange jerseys with “animals”.
And yet, David Beckham only had himself to blame for his expulsion in the round of 16 of the 1998 World Cup, even if Diego Simeone lost a little easily. That and Michael Owen’s mesmerizing individual goal resulted in an epic Saint-Etienne affair, but also another dramatic England exit on penalties.
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England’s narrow group stage victory in Sapporo four years later was not as good a match or as remarkable an occasion, but Beckham’s winning penalty nevertheless provided a moment of not only personal but national catharsis.
Even in their last encounter, on a suitably neutral pitch in Switzerland, two late goals from Owen earned England a dramatic 3-2 victory in one of the most entertaining international friendlies in recent memory.
It’s been almost 20 years now. It’s a rivalry reinforced by its rarity, but it’s still a shame that it hasn’t been renewed since.
Marc Critchley
Liverpool and Newcastle
Liverpool have faced Newcastle 58 times during the Premier League era and there has only been one 0-0 draw.
Unsurprisingly, it was during the 2020-21 season – during the pandemic – when the gates at St James’ Park were locked and nothing made sense.
It’s a match that almost guarantees goals. He has the ability to provide entertainment, sometimes cutting edge stuff. Yet this usually doesn’t lead to Newcastle wins.
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Of Newcastle’s 11 wins, only one has come at Anfield – and that was the first, in 1994, when Rob Lee and Andy Cole scored for the visiting side in a 2-0 success.
What followed a few years later was a streak of 4-3 wins for Liverpool at the end of each match where the momentum swung from one team to the other.
These fixtures contributed immensely to the brand that the Premier League was building.
Although owner Mike Ashley’s malaise has meant Newcastle have contributed less on these occasions for a long time, each of the last four encounters has brought Liverpool three points, but also the kind of unscripted drama associated with the mid-1990s.
Simon Hughes
Some dear words, but still a shame 😅
– Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) May 6, 2021
Chelsea and Barcelona met four times in the round of 16 of the Champions League between 2005 and 2012.
The most iconic incident occurred after the full-time whistle of their 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in May 2009. Andres Iniesta’s stoppage-time goal sent Barcelona through to the final, where they beat Manchester United on away goals. Didier Drogba, unhappy with some controversial refereeing decisions, grabbed the nearest camera and shouted: “It’s a fucking shame!” The striker was handed a six-match ban and a hefty fine.
Fernando Torres got his revenge on Chelsea three years later when he rounded Victor Valdes at the Camp Nou, provoking a bizarre noise from Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, and secured them a place in the 2012 final which they won on penalties against Bayern Munich.
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Ronaldinho also had a habit of producing ridiculous goals in these matches. It would be rude not to mention the Brazilian’s ingenious efforts with the outside of his boot that left Petr Cech stranded in 2005 and his labyrinthine dribbling past three players a year later.
Mourinho’s mind games on the touchline only added to the sense of pageantry.
Jay Harris
(Top photos: Getty Images)