Souey plants his colours in the ground, 1996
It’s hard to believe that the most talked-about moment in Istanbul derby history features a mustachioed Scotsman with a dodgy ticker. Graeme Souness became an instant hero on one side of the Bosphorus and persona non grata on t’other when he celebrated Galatasaray’s win at the home of Fenerbahce by planting his club’s flag in the centre circle at the end of the 1996 Turkish Cup Final.
The incident earned the brass-balled boss the nickname ‘Ulibatli Souness’ after comparisons with national hero Ulibati Hasan, who was killed as he planted the Ottoman flag during the Siege of Constantinople in 1453. So loved is Souey by Galatasaray fans, in fact, that they re-enacted the incident this year in his honour (see main image). Nice.
Off! Off! Off! Off! Off! Off… 1990
The first, and best, of several tear-ups in our rundown was so tasty that it trumps another on-field brawl between Nacional and Penarol a decade later that resulted in nine players spending a month in jail. This Montevideo melee was far more straightforward, with little interference from fans, stewards and coaching staff.
Like every good scrap, it had a bald bloke with a beard at its centre, clobbering anyone who came within striking distance. He was one of 20 (!) players who were sent off, causing the match to be abandoned. Obviously.
Ronaldinho makes a mug of Dunga, 1999
The game that brought Ronaldinho to Brazil’s attention. And down in the country’s cowboy country, Rio Grande do Sul, they don’t come much bigger that the State Championship final.
Only somebody forgot to tell Gremio’s toothy teenager as he proceeded to turn in a match-winning display, embarrassing Internacional veteran and former Brazil captain Dunga with the type of trickery for which he would soon become famous. And to a fella nearly twice his age, too – it was almost cruel. Dunga got his revenge, though, leaving Ronaldinho out of his Brazil World Cup squad 11 years later.
It all kicks off in Mexico, 1983
While the Uruguayans enjoy some good old fisticuffs, a kick is the Mexican’s preferred choice of attack – judging by this kung-fu fest between Club America and Chivas Guadalajara in 1983 anyway, now known as La Bronca del ’83 (The Riot of ’83).
With Chivas leading, an already-violent play-off semi-final turned ugly in the second half, with what seemed like most of the stadium joining in. It’s not big, it’s not clever, but it’s certainly worth a watch.
Reds and Red Devils share six
Not so much a great moment as a series of them combining to produce a classic encounter, bookended by two towering headers from defenders. Steve Bruce opened the scoring from Eric Cantona’s delicious floated pass before stunning strikes from Ryan Giggs and Denis Irwin put United into a 3-0 lead.
A brilliant brace by Nigel Clough before half-time gave the home fans hope, but it wasn’t until 10 minutes from the end that they found an equaliser, Neil Ruddock’s bullet header from substitute Stig Inge Bjornebye’s inch-perfect cross providing a fitting finale. Unless you’re Alex Ferguson, of course.
“That’s for leaving us, you swine”, 2002
Coins, cigarette lighters and even whisky bottles are one thing (well, some things). The head of a pig is quite another. And it wasn’t just any old hog that Luis Figo had the head of thrown at him as he took a corner at the Camp Nou, but that of a cochinillo, a suckling pig – a real Spanish delicacy by all accounts.
Those Barcelona fans must have really hated the Portuguese winger to toss away such a treat – and with good reason they’d tell you, after he joined their bitter rivals Real Madrid despite claiming that he’d sign a new contract with Barça. The normally-reserved Catalans let Figo have it at the first opportunity, causing the Clasico to be halted for 13 minutes. “It was a significant game for me, as it made me much more mature,” Figo later told FourFourTwo. “But of course I was a bit worried than I could be harmed.” No wonder.
Handshakes and handbags in Old Firm, 2011
“Stay away from my players or else.”
“You shouldn’t sign ****** like Diouf then.”
According to the Daily Record, these were the words between Ally McCoist and Neil Lennon that sparked a touchline bust-up between Rangers’ would-be manager and his future Celtic counterpart after the Old Firm clashed in the Scottish Cup. It was the result, apparently, of a simmering rivalry between the two management teams and some of their players. Despite smiles pre-match and again, initially, at the post-match handshake, things finally boiled over between McCoist and Lennon, resulting in bans for both men – and increased workloads for lipreaders everywhere.
Lehmann's late show secures draw in Ruhr
‘Mad Jens’ Lehmann was known for occasionally charging off his goal-line, but the keeper took things to the extreme in 1997 when he did a passable Les Ferdinand impression and headed a last-minute equaliser for Schalke against Dortmund in the Revierderby, celebrating as wildly as you’d expect.
Local lad Jens, who scored his first goal for Schalke from the penalty spot two years earlier, soon went from hero to villain, though, nipping across the Ruhr to join arch rivals Dortmund after a disappointing season in Italy with Milan.
Psy’s Capitale punishment
While the extreme violence that often blights the Rome derby is unacceptable, what is perfectly acceptable is booing an overweight 35-year-old lip-syncher from South Korea as he tries to whip up the crowd before an important football match.
In a rare show of unity, that’s exactly what happened at the 2013 Coppa Italia Final when fans of Roma and Lazio let it be known that a supposedly live performance of Gangnam Style by its creator, Psy, was not suitable pre-match entertainment in the Eternal City. We agree.
The Hand of God, before it was famous
Our list wouldn’t be complete without a clip or two from FourFourTwo’s greatest derby, Boca Juniors versus River Plate. Diego Maradona hated River Plate, stating he would never play for his beloved Boca’s bitter rivals, and los Millonarios hated him too – no wonder with performances such as this in 1981.
Both home and away, on awful pitches and with defenders trying to scythe him down at every opportunity, Maradona was a class apart. But there was also a glimpse of El Diez at his most dastardly. At the beginning of Boca’s home fixture (see clip), five years before his most infamous act, Maradona impudently tried to fool officials by fisting a cross into the net. And to think, we never even saw it coming.
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