Skip to main content
FourFourTwo FourFourTwo FOOTBALL NEWS, FEATURES, QUIZZES
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of 대한민국
대한민국
flag of Türkiye
Türkiye
  • Soccer Cleat Buying Guides
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Video
  • Features
  • Quizzes
  • Clubs
  • More
    • Interviews
    • The Magazine Archive
    • Subscribe
    • Lists
    • How to watch
    • About
FourFourTwo Magazine
FourFourTwo Magazine
Why subscribe?
  • Fascinating feature articles, covering everything from grass-roots football to the international scene
  • 'ACCESS ALL AREAS' pass to exclusive interviews with the biggest and best names in the game!
From$29.99
View
Trending
  • WATCH the UCL
  • Transfers
  • Interviews
  • Messi
  • Ronaldo
  • EPL
Recommended reading
Simone Inzaghi celebrates after Inter's thrilling Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona in May 2025.
Lists Champions League ties with the most goals
RANKED! The 25 best Champions League games of all time
Lists RANKED! The 25 best Champions League games of all time
The UEFA Champions League trophy on display at Wembley ahead of the 2024 final
Quiz Quiz! Can you name every club to have ever reached a Champions League quarter-final?
Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos
Lists Five classic El Clasicos: The greatest showdowns between Real Madrid and Barcelona
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring for Barcelona against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals in April 2011.
Quiz Quiz! Every Champions League semi-finalist
Liverpool players celebrate with the Champions League trophy after victory over Tottenham in the 2019 final in Madrid.
Lists First European trophy for continent's biggest clubs
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring for Real Madrid against Marseille in the Champions League in September 2009.
Quiz Quiz! Can you name every club to qualify for the Champions League from Europe's top five leagues?
  1. Features

The 7 fiercest club rivalries to be created in the Champions League

By Greg Lea published 22 February 2018

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

European rivalries

European rivalries

Football club rivalries are traditionally the result of local bragging rights or sustained competition in the domestic game, but the rise of several European superclubs in the Champions League era has led to the creation of feuds which go beyond borders.

In this slideshow, we pick out seven of the fiercest continental club rivalries to be created since 1992/93.

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
7. Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

7. Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

While Real Madrid have the marginally better record overall, the most famous win belongs to Borussia Dortmund after Robert Lewandowski scored four goals as part of a 4-1 trouncing in the first leg of the 2013 semi-finals.

Madrid took revenge a year later on their way to lifting the trophy, and won twice in the 2017-18 group stage, but that defeat still hurts. Whether Dortmund will ever return to the heights they reached under Jurgen Klopp is uncertain - they're not quite a top-tier European power right now - but these were wonderful games.

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
6. Barcelona vs PSG

6. Barcelona vs PSG

The Parisians' dream of winning the Champions League was buried by Barcelona no less than three times in the last five seasons, and they’re unlikely to forget the amazing events of March 2017 any time soon.

PSG dramatically lost on away goals in 2013 when Pedro Rodriguez scored the crucial equaliser at Camp Nou. Then were soundly beaten 5-1 on aggregate in 2015, but in 2017 they made sure of progressing by thrashing their illustrious opponents 4-0 at Parc des Princes. Or so they thought...

An incredible comeback, inspired by Neymar and finished off by Sergi Roberto, resulted in Barcelona’s 6-1 triumph in the return leg. Now that Neymar has controversially left for Paris, the next meeting promises to be red-hot.

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
5. Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

5. Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid

The most famous clubs in Germany and Spain share a similar mentality, and their history in the Champions League is equally rich. Since the beginning of the millennium, Real and Bayern faced each other 16 times in the knockouts; the advantage belongs to Madrid so far, with five aggregate wins to three. The affairs have always been tight, apart from a 4-0 Real win at Allianz Arena in the semi-finals in 2014.

Their quarter-final clash in 2016-17 was probably the most controversial of all. Bayern won't forget Arturo Vidal's scandalous sending-off at the Bernabeu, nor the overlooked handball which eventually allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to settle the tie in Madrid’s favour.

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
4. Barcelona vs Inter

4. Barcelona vs Inter

They haven't met since that fateful evening at Camp Nou in April 2010, but a rivalry sparked by Jose Mourinho is unlikely to be forgotten any time soon.

Deeply hurt by the Catalans' refusal to make him the coach in 2008, Mourinho had a golden opportunity to beat the club he used to dream about. The fact Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved from Inter to Barcelona that summer, with Samuel Eto'o moving in the opposite direction, only added further layers to an already curious script.

The rivals met four times that season, Barça taking four points while finishing ahead of the Nerazzurri in the group stage. In the semi-finals, though, it was a different story: Inter attacked their vaunted rivals from the off to win 3-1 at San Siro, before holding out for a 1-0 defeat in the return leg.

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
3. Manchester United vs Juventus

3. Manchester United vs Juventus

Ever since 2003, the football world has been waiting for Manchester United to face Juventus again, because the battles between Alex Ferguson and Marcello Lippi in the 1990s were sensational.

In 1996, the Old Lady won twice in the group stage to gain the upper hand. Both teams took three points on home soil a year later, but that was all irrelevant because both qualified for the knockout stage anyway.

The most important fixtures – and one of the most famous turnarounds in the Red Devils' history – took place in the semi-finals in 1999. Juventus were hot favourites after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, but Roy Keane, Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole scored in a 3-2 United win in the reverse fixture.

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
2. Liverpool vs Chelsea

2. Liverpool vs Chelsea

Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool knocked Jose Mourinho's Chelsea out in the semi-finals in 2005, when Luis Garcia scored a goal that may or may not have crossed the line. Then, two years later, the rivals met again at the same stage, exchanging 1-0 home wins – and Liverpool prevailed on penalties.

Luck changed only after the Special One was fired. Avram Grant benefited from an incredible injury-time own goal by John Arne Riise in the quarter-finals in 2008 to beat Liverpool and put the curse to rest.

A year later, the teams were involved in two nail-biting spectacles, with Chelsea winning 3-1 at Anfield thanks to a brace by Branislav Ivanovic, and Liverpool almost staging an incredible comeback in a 4-4 draw in London.

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
1. Barcelona vs Chelsea

1. Barcelona vs Chelsea

This rivalry started in 2005, when the Blues overcame Barça in a dramatic last-16 battle. The Catalans came from behind to win 2-1 at the Camp Nou in the first leg, but despite a moment of magic from Ronaldinho, they were eliminated after a 4-2 defeat in the return match.

A year passed, and Barcelona took sweet revenge at the same stage of the competition, with their 2-1 win in London featuring two own goals and a red card for Asier del Horno after his foul on Lionel Messi.

The most contentious episode came in the semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge in 2009, when the hosts had four penalty shouts turned down before Andres Iniesta’s late strike sent Barcelona through to the final. Chelsea hit back three years later, though, Roberto Di Matteo’s side giving a lesson in defensive resilience as they squeezed past the Blaugrana in the last four.

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
TOPICS
UEFA Champions League Chelsea Barcelona Internazionale Manchester United Juventus Real Madrid PSG Borussia Dortmund
Greg Lea
Greg Lea
Social Links Navigation

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).

Read more
Simone Inzaghi celebrates after Inter's thrilling Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona in May 2025.
Champions League ties with the most goals
RANKED! The 25 best Champions League games of all time
RANKED! The 25 best Champions League games of all time
The UEFA Champions League trophy on display at Wembley ahead of the 2024 final
Quiz! Can you name every club to have ever reached a Champions League quarter-final?
Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos
Five classic El Clasicos: The greatest showdowns between Real Madrid and Barcelona
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring for Barcelona against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals in April 2011.
Quiz! Every Champions League semi-finalist
Liverpool players celebrate with the Champions League trophy after victory over Tottenham in the 2019 final in Madrid.
First European trophy for continent's biggest clubs
Latest in Lists
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 30: Laura Woods, TNT Sports presenter before the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal FC at City Ground on January 30, 2024 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Women's Euro 2025: Who are the ITV presenters, pundits and commentators?
BBC Sport Presenter, Alex Scott, reacts prior to the Barclays Women's Super League match between Everton and Manchester City at Walton Hall Park on December 15, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
Women's Euro 2025: Who are the BBC presenters, pundits and commentators?
The 100 most expensive football transfers of all time: Florian Wirtz is unveiled as a Liverpool player after his signing at AXA Training Centre on June 20, 2025 in Kirkby, England.
The 100 most expensive football transfers of all time
2026 World Cup stadium guide: General view during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 semifinal match between Canada and Argentina at MetLife Stadium on July 09, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
2026 World Cup stadium guide: The full list of venues
The 100 most expensive football transfers of all time: Florian Wirtz is unveiled as a Liverpool player after his signing at AXA Training Centre on June 20, 2025 in Kirkby, England.
The 100 most expensive football transfers of all time
Ranked! The 10 best strikers in the world
Ranked! The 10 best strikers in the world
Latest in Features
Vinicius Jr celebrates a goal at the 2025 Club World Cup for Real Madrid
How to watch PSG vs Real Madrid: Live streams, TV info for Club World Cup match
Harry Maguire
Quiz! Can you name every Manchester United player to go to a major tournament with England?
Amazon prime Day 2020
Amazon Prime Day 2025: The best soccer deals to take advantage of during the four-day event
PSG celebrate their 2025 Champions League triumph
Quiz! Can you name Forbes' 30 most valuable clubs in the world?
Brad Friedel in action for Blackburn
Quiz! Name the 25 Americans with the most Premier League appearances
Pele conducting an interview
Quiz! Name all 125 members of Pele's 2004 'FIFA 100 list' of the best players ever
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Jess Fishlock of Wales celebrates scoring her team's first goal after the VAR reviewed the on-field decision to disallow the goal before overturning and awarding the goal during the UEFA Womens EURO 2025 Group D match between France and Wales at Arena St. Gallen on July 09, 2025 in St Gallen, Switzerland.
    1
    Moment of the tournament so far: Jess Fishlock sends Wales wild with first-ever major tournament goal
  2. 2
    Arsenal deal for Benjamin Sesko STILL ongoing, following update: report
  3. 3
    Lauren James silences doubters as she stars in England's perfect performance to keep Lionesses dreaming
  4. 4
    Jordan Henderson has said Ajax goodbyes, ahead of Sunderland return: report
  5. 5
    Euro 2025 rivals who has a dog together

FourFourTwo is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About FourFourTwo
  • Advertise with us
  • Worldwide
  • How to pitch to FourFourTwo

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...