10 Greatest Sports Rivalries

The Top 10 Greatest Rivalries In The History of Sport


Matt Tench and Jamie Jackson

The Observer

1 FISCHER v SPASSKY
Chess (1970-72) The ultimate sporting metaphor. The early Seventies may not quite have been the height of the Cold War, but the atmosphere between the two superpowers was still icy. The virulently anti-communist Richard Nixon was in the White House, Brezhnev in the Kremlin and the arms race was in fearsome, full flow. And then there was the chess. Soviet dominance of the world's most cerebral game (35,000 players in the States, four million across the Soviet Union) was suddenly threatened by Bobby Fischer, a deeply eccentric 29-year-old from Chicago who in 1972 became the first player from outside the Soviet Union to challenge for the title of world chess champion. The holder was Boris Spassky. Fischer almost refused to travel to Iceland, until US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called and appealed to his patriotism. 'I have been chosen to teach the Russians some humility,' Fischer declared.

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And the winner was Fischer, by 12-8 when Spassky resigned in the last game, two months after the contest began. The mysterious and paranoid Fischer never defended his title.

2 INDIA v PAKISTAN
Cricket (1952 onwards)
Since the creation of Pakistan by the Partition of India in 1947, cricket on the subcontinent has been riven by tensions and an awesome rivalry, albeit one continually overshadowed by politics. Perhaps the most dramatic match was in 1999 when, with India on the brink of defeat, the 65,000 crowd at Eden Gardens in Calcutta invaded the pitch and caused a three-hour delay. The match, eventually won by Pakistan, was completed in total silence in an empty stadium.
And the winners are Pakistan. In just 12 series (and 47 Tests) over 50 years they lead 4-2, and 9-5 in matches. The likeliest result, though, is a draw: there have been 33.


3 BORG v McENROE
Tennis (1978-81)
Tennis has thrown up more than its fair share of compelling rivalries, but none compares with this perfect contrast of talent and temperament. Bjorn Borg: brilliant baseliner, cool Swede, unflappable and sexy. John McEnroe: sublime volleyer, brash New Yorker, volatile. For three years their rivalry transcended tennis. It was defined by their unforgettable fourth-set tie break in the 1980 Wimbledon final. With appropriate irony, McEnroe won it 18-16, but lost the title in the next set. A year later he ended Borg's streak of five Wimbledon titles, and a few months after that the Swede retired - a rivalry cut off in its prime. McEnroe says his professional life was never so much fun again.
And the winner was No one: they tied at 7-7, but McEnroe won three of their four grand slam finals.

4 CELTIC v RANGERS
Football (1891 onwards)
The greatest footballing rivalry of them all because of its scalding passion. The sectarianism that underpins it is vile, but the occasions it invariably produces are sport at its rawest.
And the winners are Rangers, by a surprisingly large margin: 238-138, with 136 draws.

6 NAVRATILOVA v EVERT
Tennis (1975-88)
If Borg v McEnroe was brief but glorious this was protracted and nearly as good. Again there was the contrast in styles, but this time between two players who dominated for more than a decade - between them the pair won 18 out of the 19 slams between 1982 and 1986.
And the winner was Navratilova, who had an overall lead of 15, and won 10 of their 14 grand slam finals.

7 AMERICA v EUROPE
Ryder Cup golf (1979 onwards)
America routinely thrashed Great Britain and Ireland, but the creation of a European side has led to a heady mix of courage, patriotism, sportsmanship, gamesmanship, drama, awful outfits and strange dance steps. Plus an indecent amount of brilliant golf.
And the winner was The US edge it 6-5, with one tie.

8 PROST v SENNA
Formula One (1984-94)
How Formula One today could do with a rivalry as bitter and compelling as this one. Two of the greatest drivers of all time, pitted repeatedly against one another. Stylistically they were different, but essentially it was personal. 'Metaphorically,' Prost reflected, 'Senna wanted to destroy me.' The enmity peaked in 1989 when the pair forced each other off the track at Suzuka. Senna (behind in the championship and needing to finish ahead of Prost) tried to dive past the Frenchman at a tight chicane only for their McLarens to lock wheels and exit the track. Senna rejoined to win the race but was disqualified for a rule infringement. The championship was effectively over... as was any chance of the pair being reconciled.
And the winner was Prost, just. In the 116 times they raced the Frenchman finished ahead of Senna 54 times (Senna ahead of Prost 50 times, with neither finishing in 12 races) and he also won four championships to the Brazilian's three.

9 USOVA and ZHULIN v GRISCHUK and PLATOV
Ice Skating (1992-94)
At the Albertville Olympics in 1992 the Russian pairs came third and fourth in the ice dance, but this was purely a precursor to another kind of rivalry. Usova and Zhulin were an item, Grischuk and Platov were not. After the Olympics, Usova walked into Spago's restaurant in Hollywood, caught her husband sharing a cocktail with Grischuk, and promptly punched her rival in the face. Two years later, at the Lillehammer Games, Grishcuk and Platov won gold to their rivals' silver. Usova refused to go to the medallists' press conference and she and Zhulin subsequently broke up.
And the winner was Ice dancing, which got lots of publicity.

10 ALEX HIGGINS v REST OF THE WORLD
(1971 onwards)
Seventeen arrests, one (so-far) successful battle with throat cancer, a lifelong hostility toward taxi drivers and bar staff, two marriages, five fights with fellow professionals, one stabbing, five suspensions, two suicide attempts, one ban from Pot Black, one petition for bankruptcy, 15 bans from snooker's governing body, one enduring feud with Dennis Taylor, and bans from just about every hotel in Greater Manchester, several forests' worth of tabloid stories... And, incidentally, two world snooker championships, in 1972 and 1982.

And the winner is The public, who have watched, bemused and amused by the whole soap opera.

We think of them as great rivalries. But they're not:
1) The Ashes (cricket). Scoreline over the last 20 years: Aussies nine series victories, England two. Of the last 39 Tests, England have won six. Not a rivalry, a national embarrassment.
2) Spurs v Arsenal (football). While Arsenal were playing Lazio in the Champions League, Spurs were also immersed in cup action - against Brentford in the League Cup. Says it all, these days.
3) Ferrari v McLaren (F1). McLaren once dominated their sport; now they are being humiliated. Five victories in the last 34 races compared to 24 by Ferrari.
4) The Williams sisters v anyone else (tennis). Wasn't much of a rivalry anyway. Now it's not much of a rivalry between the two of them.
5) England v Wales (rugby union). Yes we know Wales won three years ago, but it was only their second win in 12 years, with an aggregate scoreline of 416 -162 over that period.
Justifying the selection...
This month's 10 was selected by OSM's editor Matt Tench and Jamie Jackson. Here they justify their choice:
The Manchester derby, the Merseyside derby, Manchester United v Liverpool (arguably bigger than either), Barcelona v Real Madrid, Dinamo Zagreb v Red Star Belgrade, Boca Juniors v River Plate...and so on. We could easily have limited the list to 10 great footballing rivals. Instead we chose to limit ourselves to just one - and by doing so found the choice made for us. 'It defines living for me in terms of a pure football experience,' said Tommy Burns, played and managed in many Old Firm games. 'You are exhilarated and nauseated all in one.'
And yet that rivalry only makes it to our No 4. Above it are two personal rivalries that transcended their sports, indeed transcended sport completely, and Pakistan v India - the only team-game rivalry that can outdo the Glasgow derby in terms of the same desperate mix of politics, religion and a sport that is in many ways more important to the locals than either. And the numbers are bigger.
At our No 1, though, we had to go for a rivalry that was at one both deeply personal and truly international, an extraordinary evocation of another time. The irony of it was that beyond the hype the two men personified each other's national stereotype. Spassky was uncomplicated and modest ('When you play Bobby, it is not a question if you win or lose,' he said, 'it is about survival.') For Fischer, winning was not enough - he had to control and dominate his opponent. 'I thought I would beat him more easily,' he said, 'though there is no question in my mind, I have broken him.'
Thirty years on their rivalry still rings down the ages, and it clearly took its toll on the participants: Fischer 'disappeared' for 25 years, while Spassky left Russia and became a naturalised Frenchman.