Every country has a derby that stands above all others. The Old Firm, El Superclasico, The Eternal Derby. These games draw the attention of the whole nation and invariably most viewers will have a favoured side, even if they support someone else. In Italy it’s the Derby della Madonnina, the Milan Derby - named after the statue of the Virgin Mary atop the City’s Cathedral, the Duomo.
There are many reasons for the fixture’s allure, as well of the undoubted glamour of some of the world’s best players facing off for the pride of Italy’s fashion capital, one of the most endearing facets of the derby is the general good nature between the fans. Whilst humorous, bordering on offensive banners unfurled in each Curva are a key element of the show. The derby has rarely descended into the violence that has often made the Derby della Capitale between Roma and Lazio a national embarrassment. Perhaps this is due to the shared lineage between the clubs, or their shared home that makes the fixture feel more like sibling rivalry rather than bitter enemies.
Historically, Milan was the club of the working class and Inter was the club of the bourgeoisie. Because of this Milan fans were nicknamed “tramvee” as they had to take public transport to the stadium, whereas Inter had the luxury of taking their own transport and so were nicknamed “motoretta” for the motorcycles popular with their fans. As you expect blue collar Milan supporters always had more socialist leanings and middle-class Inter fans more conservative. However, over time, particularly with (future right-wing Prime Minister) Berlusconi’s purchase of Milan and (left supporting) Massimo Moratti’s takeover of Inter, the lines have blurred.
The record of both clubs in the fixture is remarkably similar. In 229 matches Inter hold the lead with 84 wins to Milan’s 77. Inter have scored 316 goals, Milan 305. In terms of trophies Inter have 19 Serie A titles and are the current wearers of the Scudetto, Milan have 18. It’s only the Champions League that sees any significance with Inter’s three European Cups being dwarfed by Milan’s seven, although Inter have won more Intercontinental/Club World Cups three to one.
Football in Milan began in 1899 when English emigrants Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kiplin founded “Milan Foot-Ball and Cricket Club.” It is because of this AC Milan is referred to by the English “Milan” rather than the Italian “Milano.” "We will be a team of devils. Our colours will be red like fire and black like the fear we will invoke in our opponents." Herbert is quoted as saying of the club’s Rossoneri colours. Under his management the club quickly established themselves amongst the Italian elite, winning national titles in 1901, 1906 & 1907. This success led to internal conflict as most in the club felt it was unnecessary to sign foreign players, whereas several thought it was vital for keeping Milan at the top. By March 1908 this caused an unrepairable schism and a new club “Football Club Internazionale” was founded. Inter were created with the vision “This splendid night will give the colors to our emblem: black and blue against the golden background of the stars. It will be called Internazionale, because we are brothers of the world." The club attained a similarly meteoric rise as their cross-city rivals winning their first national championship by 1910.
The first recorded meeting of the two teams came seven months after Inter’s inception in the final of the Chiasso Cup, a friendly competition in Switzerland. Milan won the game 2-1 and a rivalry was born. The teams had occasional meetings in the years after but it wasn’t until the foundation for the Divisione Nazionale in 1926 that the teams met biannually. In the near century since, neither team has secured a foothold as the dominant force, again adding to the fixtures appeal. Both teams have exchanged periods of success. Inter dominated the 20s & 30s winning three national titles, Milan the 50s winning four titles, Inter won the most league titles in the 60s although both teams ended the decade with two European Cups. The 70s and majority of the 80s saw both teams overtaken by Turin rivals Juventus before both teams were resurrected in the late 80s.
In 1986 Inter appointed Giovanni Trapattoni as manager, who had led Juventus through their success of the previous decade. With the signing of German superstars Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthäus in 1988, Inter secured the Scudetto that season. During the same period Milan had been acquired by media mogal Silvio Berlusconi, who had saved the club from bankruptcy and began to invest heavily in the transfer market. Dutch duo Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten were signed and led the team to the 1988 Scudetto, and following the accusuition of fellow countryman Frank Rijkaard the 1989 European Cup. Such was the Germanic and Dutch influence of the two clubs at the time. When West Germany played the Netherlands at the 1990 World Cup in the San Siro, the supporters of the clubs treated it as an unofficial derby siding with the nations their club's players represented. This era became Milan’s golden period as under Arrigo Sacchi & Fabio Capello the club won five Serie A titles and three European Cups in only eight years.
After a decade of perceived underachievement by Inter, local Billionaire Massimo Moratti seized control of the club in 1995. Moratti’s father had been chairman of the club during the Grande Inter period of the 1960s. Moratti began spending his considerable wealth in order to make Inter the best team in the world. He broke the World Transfer Record twice in two years, bringing in Ronaldo from Barcelona in 1995 and Christian Vieri from Lazio in 1997. Nethertheless, after another decade his spending hadn’t translated into titles. The tide changed in the 2005 season. Champions Juventus were relegated and Milan were docked 30 points for their part in the Caciopoli match-fixing scandal, granting Inter their first title in 17 years. With the absence of Juventus and Milan deducted a further eight points the following season Inter retained the Scudetto, setting in motion a period of dominance that led to five consecutive titles under Roberto Mancini and José Mourinho. Inter’s greatest moment came in the 2009-2010 season, when under Mourinho they won an unprecedented Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble. Mourinho announced his departure to Real Madrid immediately after the Champions League final. Inter struggled to come to terms with the departure of their inspirational coach and Milan overtook them the following season winning the tilte to many’s surprise under new manager Massimo Allegri.
The 2010s were a bleak time for both Milan clubs as Juventus dominated the domestic competitions and Premier League and La Liga clubs dominated continental competitions. The turn of the decade saw an improvement in fortunes for both clubs. Both clubs were taken over by foreign investors who eventually settled on new managers that began to oversee restorations of the once great clubs. In the summer of 2019 Inter hired former Juventus manager Antonio Conte who began a massive overhaul of the squad just in the way he had done at the start of his time at Juve. The club finished 2nd in his first season and won the Scudetto in 2021. During the same period Milan hired former Inter manager Stefano Pioli. Whilst not having the same resources available to him he helped Milan climb back up the table and return to the Champions League. The season Inter won the title, Milan finished second, securing the city at the summit of Serie A.
This season, despite a change of manager, Inter have been top most of the season under Simone Inzaghi; brother of former Milan striker Filipo. Milan are currently join-top however with Napoli, following a recent slip in form by their rivals with the resumption of the Champions League. Inter and Milan drew the November meeting between the two 1-1. Former Milan player Hakan Çalhanoğlu opened the scoring for Inter before Stefan De Vrij levelled for Milan with an own goal. The result saw Milan miss the chance to go top, but a come-from-behind 2-1 win in February has turned the tide. Milan go into the game still missing their two star strikers, Ante Rebić and veteran of both sides Zlatan Ibrahimović, with the last meeting's 2-goal hero Olivier Giroud expected to start. Inter are near to full strength with the only injuries being back-up striker Joaquín Correa and new signing Robin Gosens, though both are very close to returns and might feature. There will be extra meaning tonight with the ongoing invasions of Ukraine by Russia. Former Ukraine striker and manager Andriy Shevchenko is one of Milan's favourite adopted son's, having amassed over one-hundred goals in over two-hundred appearences for the I Rossoneri. Becoming the Derby's top-scorer of all time in the process. Expect there to be a strong showing of brotherly love from both the blue and red sides of the city of Milan for their "brothers of the world."
