When you think of great rivalries in world football what do you think of?
Do you think AC Milan and Inter fighting it out at the San Siro? How about Manchester United going for Liverpool's throat at Old Trafford? Or perhaps you're Spanish and you think of Barcelona and Real Madrid fighting for dominance at the Camp Nou?
In my last rivalry I went to Athens to take a look at Olympiacos and Panathinakos, the two Greek powerhouses. This time, I head north to Glasgow, Scotland, to take a look at the Old Firm derby between Celtic FC and Rangers FC.
Anyone who thinks of Scottish football will undoubtedly mention the Old Firm derby. It's one of the most exciting derbies in the world with two of the most successful clubs in Scotland. Between the two clubs, they have won a total of 66 Scottish Cups 93 Scottish Premier League titles.
The Old Firm derby began back in 1888, when Celtic defeated the Rangers, 5-2. Since then, the two clubs have met 380 times. Of those meetings, Celtic have won 136 matches, Rangers have won 152 matches, and they have drawn 92 matches. The last match was on August 31, 2008, when the Rangers defeated Celtic, 4-2. The two clubs meet four times a year and are frequently matched up against each other in the Scottish competitions.
As we all know, any two clubs that's in the same city are bound to bring hatred and rivalries. Let's take a look at how these two clubs have dealt with each other.
The older of the two clubs is Rangers FC. Founded in 1873, the club has the world record for the most league titles, with 51. They also have won more major trophies than any other club in the world. The Rangers have been successful ever since their beginning. They have won 51 league titles, 1 Cup Winners' Cup, 32 Scottish Cup, and 25 League Cup.
Traditionally, the majority of Ranger fans were Protestant and held political views in line with the Unionists of Scotland. However, in more recent times, this has become untrue. While the club is known as The Teddy Bears or the Gers (a slang from Rangers), the fans have been known as Bluenoses. The Rangers' stadium, the Ibrox, was the first stadium in Scotland to receive a five-star status from UEFA.
The Rangers have had a steady stream of stars come through. Among them have been Bobby Shearer, Ian Durrant, and Ian Ferguson. Nowadays, players like Barry Ferguson, Kris Boyd, and David Weirare wowing the Ranger faithful. The club also has two Americans on the squad - Maurice Edu and American legend DaMarcus Beasley.
26 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete