Two highly successful clubs that also share the same stadium, how intense do you want a derby to be! AC Milan and Internazionale are two of Serie A’s best clubs and compete at least twice a year in the Derby della Madonnina, also known as the Derby di Milano.
And then they have also ‘shared’ many legendary footballers and coaches such as Giovanni Trapattoni, Ronaldo (the Brazilian), Clarence Seedorf and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Let’s quickly dive into the history, statistics and best moments of this derby!
AC Milan – Internazionale | Derby
In Serie A, Juventus have been champions by far the most often, 36 times. Behind them follow AC Milan and Internazionale with both winning 19 national titles, as well as a lot of European success.
Together, the two Milanese clubs are thus part of Italy’s top three. And when you then also share the same stadium (San Siro aka Giuseppe Meazza) in a football-mad country, you get a wonderful derby. And things do not always go smoothly there …
Derby della Madonnina history
The history of this derby also has a spicy edge. For AC Milan was founded on 13 December 1899. In its first eight years, AC Milan became national champions three times. And Internazionale was founded on 9 March 1908 by… former members of AC Milan. They disagreed with the purchase policy around foreign players and therefore founded a new club.
For the first few years, the two clubs did not meet much. But this changed with the creation of the Divisione Nazionale in 1926, a first real Italian league. Since then, both clubs have played each other at least twice a year in the Derby della Madonnina.
AC Milan – Internazionale: Italian and European struggles
In the 1960s, the derby featured two of the greatest footballers of the time in Italy: Sandro Mazzola of Inter and Gianni Rivera of AC Milan. It was also the time of both clubs’ first European successes: AC Milan won the European Cup (precursor to the Champions League) in 1963, Internazionale then in 1964 and 1965.
From the late 1980s until around 2005, AC Milan was dominant in this derby. With the likes of Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Paolo Maldini, Milan won four league titles and the European Cup/Champions League three times in a short space of time. Inter won the UEFA Cup (predecessor Europa League) twice during this time.
After the 2005 Calciopoli scandal, Inter won five league titles in a row and the Champions League treble in 2010. AC Milan had won its seventh Champions League in 2007. After 2011, the two clubs had to stand idly by as Juventus won nine league titles in a row. In the past two seasons, they both won the Scudetto again, their nineteenth in total.
Betting on Derby della Madonnina | Wedmarkten
At least twice a year and maybe more often, the Derby della Madonnina is played. The two clubs meet in Serie A, but also occasionally in the Coppa Italia or, as on 18 January 2023, in the Supercoppa Italia. And even twice in the Champions League in the early 2000s.
Betting on winner
Besides the Eredivisie, the bookmakers in the Netherlands naturally look at all major competitions in Europe: the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A. In recent years, Internazionale often won this derby. Do you bet on the blue-blacks?
Betting on goal scorers
Top strikers from both clubs have made their mark in this classic. Andriy Shevchenko enjoyed playing against Inter (14 goals), as did Gunnar Nordahl and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. At Inter, Giuseppe Meazza is the top scorer in this derby. Or maybe you will see another goal scorer at nice odds in this derby.
Bet with special odds
Betting on football can become even more fun with special odds or even better, free bets. Keep an eye on the betting news and betting tips from Betting Masters for all the bookmaker promotions and actions on Serie A that you can take advantage of!
What makes AC Milan – Internazionale unique?
As mentioned, this is a derby with a special history. After all, Internazionale was founded nine years after AC Milan by disgruntled members of the red-and-black club. And the stadium San Siro / Stadio Giueseppe Meazza is used every week, alternately by either club. The stadium’s namesake, Meazza, as an Inter player, became world champion with Italy in 1934 and 1938. But he also played for AC Milan for two years afterwards.
Moreover, both clubs’ list of honours also makes this encounter extra special. Both AC Milan and Internazionale became national champions 19 times. And both also finished second in Serie A 16 times. In the 1960s and 1990s, both also won several European prizes. And then they also have several players who wore the colours of both clubs.
Mutual standings
Since their first meeting, AC Milan and Internazionale have played no less than 234 matches against each other. The ratio is pretty well balanced: Internazionale is slightly ahead with 86 wins to 79, while there were 69 draws. The goal difference is also in Inter’s favour with 325-310.
AC Milan does boast more European success: seven times the European Cup I/Champions League against three for Internazionale. Milan also won the European Cup Winners’ Cup twice, the UEFA Super Cup five times and the World Cup for clubs four times. Inter won that prize three times, as well as the UEFA Cup/Europa League.
Legendary players
Internazionale’s first great player was Luigi Cevenini in the 10s and 20s. Remarkably, however, he went from AC Milan to Inter, to AC Milan, to Inter, to Juventus. And even more striking: his brothers Aldo, Mario, Cesare and Carlo also played for both clubs!
Inter legend Giuseppe Meazza played for Inter from 1927-1940, 1940-1942 for AC Milan, 1942-1943 for Juventus and finally 1946-1947 again for Inter. He played this derby a total of 40 times, including 37 for the blue-blacks with 12 goals.
In three games for AC Milan, he also scored once against his great love. In the late 40s and early 50s, Gunnar Nordahl (AC Milan) and István Nyers (Inter) were the goalgetters with 11 goals each.
Baresi, Maldini, Bergomi and other defenders
What is striking about AC Milan and Internazionale is that defenders in particular were very loyal to their club. AC Milan’s Paolo Maldini leads the list with 56 derbies played, with Inter defenders Javier Zanetti (47) and Giuseppe Bergomi (44) behind him, and Maldini’s mate Alessandro Costacurta (43).
Notable is a brotherhood from the late ; 70s: Franco Baresi played for AC Milan from 1977-1997, brother Giuseppe Baresi for Inter from 1976-1992. Both brothers once applied to Inter, Franco was refused after which AC Milan picked him up.
Seedorf, Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic
The last 25 years have seen a number of top foreign players playing for both clubs. Clarence Seedorf swapped Real Madrid for Internazionale in 2000, leaving for city rival AC Milan two years later. There he celebrated his greatest successes in 10 years.
The Brazilian Ronaldo has managed to don all the shirts of two great classics: after PSV, he played for FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as Internazionale and AC Milan.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had every top club in Italy: from Ajax he went to Juventus and then Internazionale. After one season at FC Barcelona, he played for AC Milan from 2010-2012 and again since 2020.
Derby Top 4
12 April 2005: Internazionale – AC Milan 0-3 (awarded)
In the 2004/2005 season, the two played each other in the Champions League quarter-finals. AC Milan had won the first game 2-0 through goals from Jaap Stam and Andriy Shevchenko.
In the return, with the score 0-1 in AC Milan’s favour, things went all wrong. An Inter goal was disallowed, after which AC Milan goalkeeper Dida was pelted with fireworks. The match was called off and AC Milan got a regulation 3-0 win. Later, Milan lost the bizarre final to Liverpool after squandering a 3-0 lead.
https://youtu.be/tJI3R5JICZk?t=598
29 August 2009: AC Milan – Internazionale 0-4
Early in the 2009/2010 season, it was clear that Internazionale had a fantastic team. Think Wesley Sneijder, Javier Zanetti, Samuel Eto’o, Dejan Stankovic, Diego Milito, Júlio César, Thiago Motta and Maicón.
Early in the season under the leadership of José Mourinho, they put rival AC Milan in their place with a fat victory. Inter won a fantastic treble that season, but Wesley Sneijder was deprived of the Golden Ball.
6 May 2012: Internazionale – AC Milan 4-2
In the 2011-2012 season, the battle for the Scudetto went between AC Milan and Juventus for a long time. The club from Turin was one point ahead two games before the end. And Juve was helped to its first of nine national titles in a row by Inter, which won 4-2 at home against AC Milan. Big man on the Inter side was Diego Milito with a hat-trick. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice on behalf of AC Milan.
February 5, 2022: Internazionale – AC Milan 1-2
Over the past five years, Internazionale were often the strongest in this derby. But in 2021/2022, AC Milan caused a reversal. After a loss against Spezia and 0-0 against Juventus, they won this important derby. This was followed by a run of another 14 unbeaten matches and wins in Serie A, two points ahead of Inter.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
The biggest difference between pre-match and live betting on football is that you have much more time to think about your bet. With live betting, the odds are constantly changing, so you have to decide quickly whether to bet or not. So live betting involves more stress, or more excitement. It depends on how you look at it.
-
A football match basically lasts 2×45 minutes + injury time. Injury time can be 0 minutes, but also 8 or even 10. This is determined by the arbitration. After regular playing time an extension of 2×15 minutes can be played if necessary (e.g. in a knock-out match).
-
The advantage of betting on football is that you can use your knowledge of football to make money. In addition, a match is much more exciting when you have placed a bet. The disadvantage is that you can lose money. So only play with money you can afford to lose.
-
You will find the results of football bets at your bookmaker. You can see on your betslip how much your bets have yielded. Sometimes even before the match is over, an offer is made to you to have part of your winnings paid out. Your bet then stops and you cannot collect the full amount.
-
The biggest difference between pre-match and live betting on football is that you have much more time to think about your bet. With live betting, the odds are constantly changing, so you have to decide quickly whether to bet or not. So live betting involves more stress, or more excitement. It depends on how you look at it.