Inter vs AC Milan: origins, heroes and records from the derby

ORIGINS, PLACES, THE MADONNINA:

A symbol of the city, the golden statue of the Madonnina on top of the Duomo watches over all Milanesi. As a link to this local heritage, the rivalry between Inter and AC Milan is known as the Derby della Madonnina. The first-ever derby took place on 18 October 1908, but it wasn't in Italy; rather, it took place in Chiasso, Switzerland, and ended in a 2-1 victory for AC Milan. The first official meeting between the two sides, however, was on 10 January 1909. Since that day, Inter and AC Milan have gone head-to-head 244 times in competitive football, playing against each other both in Milano and abroad; the first such occasion was the Supercoppa in Beijing in 2011. The very first derbies were held at the Campo di Porta Monforte, the pitch often used by the Rossoneri, which was on the now Via Bronzetti. Other matches took place at the Arena Civica, and on the pitches on Via Goldoni, used by Inter, and Viale Lombardia. The first derby at San Siro was played on 19 September 1026, which Inter won 6-3.

THE DERBY WITH THE MOST GOALS: 6 NOVEMBER 1949

At the start of a promising 1949/50 campaign, Inter won a derby that would go down in history. The game still holds the record for the most goals in the fixture. "A novel-esque reality at San Siro" was the headline in La Gazzetta dello Sport's report of an incredible 6-5 victory for the Nerazzurri. It was an obscene scoreline, especially given AC Milan's first start. The Rossoneri were 4-1 up after just 19 minutes played: former Interista Candiana scored two inside seven minutes, before goals from Nyers and then Nordahl and Liedholm. The Nerazzurri's reaction was fierce. Amadei, Nyers and again and another from Amadei drew Inter level. In the 58th minute, Benito 'Poison' Lorenzi gave Inter the lead for the first time. A minute later, Annovazzi equalised. Then it was Amadei again, who made it a hat-trick and handed Inter the win.

AN EVER-PRESENT MANAGER

A few years later, Helenio Herrera featured in his first derby as Inter boss. It was 20 November 1960, exactly 65 years ago, and the game ended in a 1-0 win for the Nerazzurri. In a game that saw an invasion of the pitch by fans dreaming of goals for stars such as Angelillo, Altafini, Rivera or Corso, it was the future captain of the Grande Inter side, Armando Picchi, who won the day. Overall, Helenio Herrera is the Inter coach with the most appearances in the derby: 20 in all competitions. The architect of the Grande Inter is also the Inter coach with the most victories in the game, with eight.

LEADING GOALSCORERS

The Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko has the most goals in the history of the Derby di Milano with 14. Behind him is Nerazzurri icon Giuseppe Meazza on 13 (12 for Inter and one for the Rossoneri). Level in third place are two extraordinary forwards, who lit up the derby: Istvan Nyers and Gunnar Nordahl, on 11. In recent times, the leading goalscorer has been Lautaro with nine, four of which in Serie A, putting him ahead of legends like Altobelli, Boninsegna, Lorenzi, Mazzola and Diego Milito.

APPEARANCES, RECORDS, LEGENDS

Three legendary captains lead the derby appearance list: Paolo Maldini (53), Javier Zanetti (45), and Giuseppe Bergomi (40).

The fastest-ever goal in the Derby della Madonnina was scored by an Inter great, Sandro Mazzola, on 24 February 1963, when he scored after just 13 seconds in a 1-1 draw.

Walter Samuel has an almost perfect record in the derby. In 2012, he scored a headed winner to make it ten wins from his ten derby appearances. The streak then came to an end in the derby defeat in 2014, the Argentinian's only defeat against AC Milan.

HEROES FOR A NIGHT AND FIRST DATES

It only takes one goal to go down in derby history. One unexpected effort can turn any player into a hero. One of these is Giuseppe Minaudo. It was 6 April 1986, and Mario Corso decided to send Minaudo on as a substitute. He then came on and decided the derby with his first Serie A goal. The derby has also been a proving ground for plenty of players who went on to become Inter greats. Wesley Sneijder arrived in Milano and was thrown into the game of games, scoring in his first derby appearance. It happened to Mazzola too, with that goal 13 seconds after kick-off on 24 February 1963. But the prestigious list of Nerazzurri to have netted in their first derby is a long one. Among the many goals, standouts are certainly Ronaldo in 97/98, Milito in the 4-0 win in 09/10, Pandev in the 2-0 victory in 09/10, Lautaro in the 3-2 win in 18/19, and Thuram in that 5-1 victory in September 2023.