The spirit of competition can bring out the best (or sometimes the worst) in the participants, and healthy rivalries exist throughout the sporting world.
Everyone has heard of at least one famous sporting rivalry in history. There was Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier in boxing, Chris Evert versus Martina Navratilova in tennis and Greg Norman versus Nick Faldo in golf.A healthy cricket rivalry continues between India and Pakistan. There’s even been a classic rivalry in the world of chess with Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov battling it out in several matches over the years.
But can any of these admittedly classic face-offs hold a candle to the colossal confrontation that occurs whenever the Red Devils of Manchester United clash with the Liverpool Reds? In what has to be the greatest rivalry in football, if not all sports, there is a way to look at things analytically to determine why it exists, and why it continues:
1. The Northwest Derby – Matchups between the two clubs are often referred to using this moniker.The cities of Manchester and Liverpool have been in competition since industrial times, and that sense of being rivals has permeated into the football world.
2. “The Greatest English Football Club” – Manchester United and Liverpool both lay claim to the title of The Greatest English Football Club. A similar number of trophies have been won by each club, and they are also the two most successful English teams in European competition.
3. Fans and Money – The two clubs are widely-supported throughout the world and boast some of the most devoted fans in any sport.They are also ranked as two of the richest clubs in the world.
4. Player Haters – As with a lot of football clubs, the fans can be downright hostile to each other sometimes. With Liverpool and Man U, though, the hostility spills over to the players too occasionally.Wayne Rooney, United striker, has publicly stated how much he hated Liverpool FC when he was growing up.Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, on the other hand, once told a television crew that even though he exchanges shirts regularly with opposing players, he would never have a Man U shirt in his house.
5. Transfers? What are Transfers? – There have been no direct transfers of players between the two clubs since 1964; the few who have played for both sides have always played for a different city’s club in between. As recently as 2007, United left-back Gabriel Heinze expressed a desire to move to Liverpool, and a bid was made, but Man U rejected the bid and stated that Heinze would only join a foreign club if he chose to leave – all due to the age old rivalry.
In a way, it’s inspiring the way two rival football clubs can be so passionate about the sense of competition between them.Some people out there, though, must think the whole concept of these sporting grudges is a waste of time. So, who’s the best team in football?That’s simple. Everyone knows it’s Spurs.
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