The Derby della Madonnina, also known as the Derby di Milano (English: Milan Derby), is a derbyfootball match between the two prominent Milaneseclubs, Inter Milan and AC Milan. It is called Derby della Madonnina in honour of one of the main sights in the city of Milan, the statue of the Virgin Mary on the top of the Duomo, which is often referred to as the Madonnina ("Little Madonna" in Italian).
In the past, Inter Milan (commonly abbreviated to Inter) was seen as the club of the Milan bourgeoisie (nicknamed bauscia, a Milanese term meaning "braggart"), whereas Milan (nicknamed casciavit or casciavid, meaning "screwdriver" in Lombard language, with reference to the blue-collar worker) was supported mainly by working class.[1] Because of their more prosperous ancestry, Inter fans had the "luxury" to go to the San Siro stadium by motorcycle (motoretta, another nickname given to the Nerazzurri). On the other hand, the Rossoneri were also known as tramvee or tranvee (i.e. able to be transferred to the stadium only by 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 only major crosstown derbies in association football that are always played in the same stadium, in this case the San Siro, as both Inter and Milan call San Siro "home". 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).[2]
History
Scene of a Derby della Madonnina in 1915
On 13 December 1899, Herbert Kilpin and others founded the Milan Cricket and Football Club. Alfred Edwards, a former British vice-consul in Milan and a well-known personality of the Milanese high society, was the club's first elected president. Initially, the team included a cricket section, managed by Edward Berra, and a football section managed by David Allison. The Milan team soon gained relevant notability under Herbert Kilpin's guide. The first trophy to be won was the Medaglia del Re ("King's Medal") in January 1900, and the team later won three national leagues, in 1901, 1906 and 1907. The triumph of 1901 was particularly relevant because it ended the consecutive series of wins of Genoa, which had been the only team to have won the title prior to 1901. On 9 March 1908, issues over the signing of foreign players led to a split and the foundation of Football Club Internazionale.
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.
Gunnar Nordahl scoring a goal in a Milan derby on 25 March 1951
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 followed with back-to-back success in the following years. 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 far behind. Arguably Milan's greatest-ever era took place during the late 1980s and had extended through to the mid-2000s. Often hailed as the greatest-ever Milan side, the team stemming from the 1989 European champions managed by Arrigo Sacchi, contained legendary Milan players, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Paolo Maldini, amongst others. Milan's dominance, both domestically and internationally, had seen them capture four league titles and three European Cups (finishing runners-up two additional times) between 1989 and 1996. During this time, Inter had gone on to finish runners-up in the 1992–93 season (behind Milan) and won two UEFA Cups.
Adriano heading a goal in a Milan derby on 15 February 2009
The two clubs famously met in the semi-finals of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League, their first ever European matches against one another, in which Milan went through on the away goals rule despite both clubs playing at the same stadium; Milan would go on to win the competition. They met again in the quarter-finals of the 2004–05 edition; Milan triumphed on aggregate after UEFA awarded them a 3–0 victory in the second leg, as the match was abandoned due to flares thrown by Inter fans.
Inter's long wait for a league title that began after 1989 finally arrived in 2006, when the Calciopoli scandal stripped Juventus of the 2005–06 title (as well as deducting points from Milan's final overall total) and handed it to Inter, who originally finished third behind both Juventus and Milan. This was seen as a controversial decision by many, as even though the title won the previous season by Juventus was also stripped, it was left unawarded, which many felt should have also been the case with the 2005–06 title. Inter went on to win the 2006–07 Serie A title as well in a season that saw Juventus relegated from the top division, and Milan, as punishment, starting the season with negative points. Inter's triumphant campaign included a record-breaking run of 17 consecutive victories and victories in both fixtures against Milan. During the same season, however, Milan had captured their seventh European Cup/UEFA Champions League, defeating Liverpool in the final in Athens. As the Italian league recovered from the aftermath of the match-fixing scandal, Inter continued to dominate, winning each league up until the 2009–10 season in which they secured the title on the last day of the season. That season had also seen Inter become the first Italian side to win a treble. In addition to their league title, Inter also secured the Coppa Italia and their first Champions League title since 1965. The following season, however, Milan, with the acquisition of several players that included former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, recaptured the Scudetto, their 18th overall, leading the league standings from as early as November until the end of the season. That season also saw Milan win both derby matches, keeping clean sheets in both fixtures.
Between 2011–12 and 2019–20, both Milan teams lagged behind Juventus in Serie A, with a disappointing ninth-place finish for Inter in 2012–13 and a difficult campaign for Milan in 2014–15, finishing tenth. However, Inter ended Juventus' nine-year streak by winning their 19th title in 2020–21, overtaking Milan's total. Milan tied Inter's total by winning their own 19th title in the following season.
The two clubs met once again in the semi-finals of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League; the tie was their first European derby in 18 years, as well as being both clubs' first appearances in the semi-finals since winning the trophy in 2007 and 2010 respectively. Inter won the tie, defeating Milan 2–0 in the first leg and 1–0 in the second, reaching the final.
In 2023–24, Inter defeated Milan 2–1 as the designated "away" side on 22 April 2024; the result confirmed they had won their 20th league title, marking the first time the Scudetto had been decided in a Derby della Madonnina. The title put Inter one clear of Milan's 19 titles, and ensured a second star on the club's badge; the game was also Inter's sixth successive win over Milan, the joint-longest winning streak of either side the derby's history.[3]
Below is the list of managers with the most appearances in official games.
The RossoneroNereo Rocco, the record appearance-maker of the derby della Madonnina (25) and Helenio Herrera, the record appearance-maker of the Nerazzurri (20)
Most goals in a single derby: 11, Internazionale 6–5 Milan (6 November 1949)
Largest derby margin of victory for Milan: 0–6 (11 May 2001)
Largest derby margin of victory for Internazionale: 0–5 (6 February 1910)
Most derby wins in a row: 6, Milan (from 5 February 1911 to 9 February 1919, and from 30 May 1946 to 11 April 1948), Inter (from 18 January 2023 to 22 April 2024)
Most consecutive derby draws: 4 (from 29 September 1935 to 7 February 1937)
Most consecutive derby matches without a win: 17, Milan (from 10 November 1929 to 7 February 1937)
Most goals in consecutive derbies for a player: 5, Romelu Lukaku (from 21 September 2019 to 21 February 2021)
Fastest derby goal scored for Internazionale: Sandro Mazzola, after 13 seconds (24 February 1963)
Fastest derby goal scored for Milan: José Altafini, after 25 seconds (26 March 1961)
Most goals in a single derby for a Milan player: 4, José Altafini (27 March 1960)
• Milan with 40 higher finishes, Inter with 49 higher finishes, and 1 equal finish (as of the end of the 2023–24 season). No head-to-heads in 1981 and 1983, since Milan was in Serie B.
Both teams finished with the same number of points in 1958, and the regulation of the time did not contemplate tiebreakers: both teams finished in ninth place.
Both teams finished with the same number of points in 1991, but Milan had better goal difference: Milan finished in second place, Inter in third.
Players who played for both clubs
Note: Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. Player names in bold are still active for one of the two clubs. Updated per 22 April 2024.
Inter, then Milan
Ronaldo's Inter Milan away jersey (left) and AC Milan away jersey (right) in the San Siro museum. He played for Inter from 1997 to 2002, and AC Milan from 2007 to 2008
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