AC Milan vs Inter rivalry: History, top scorers & players who played for both clubs

They went toe-to-toe for the Scudetto last season and the Rossoneri came out on top, lifting the title for the 19th time.

Both Inter and AC Milan have started the 2022-23 season in decent form and are in third and sixth respectively after four games. A win for either team would see them go top of the table above Atalanta and Roma, who are the early pace-setters.

The champions will be hoping their attacking trio of Ante Rebic, Charles De Ketelaere and Rafael Leao can maintain their strong starts to the campaign. Meanwhile, Lautaro Martinez continues to be the main man for the Nerazzurri, with three goals and an assist in his four matches.

The two Milan sides met on four occasions last season - Inter won once, as did Milan, while the other two games ended in draws.

The history of the Milan derby is storied and illustrious, and GOAL has everything you need to know!

What is the Milan derby?

The Milan derby, also known as the Derby di Milano in Italy, is the football match that takes place between Inter and Milan. The two clubs are the most prominent in the Italian city, and is dubbed the Derby della Madonnina to pay tribute of one of the main landmarks in Milan which is of the statue of the Virgin Mary atop the Duomo (it is also referred to as the Madonnina - 'Little Madonna' in Italian).

The two clubs have held a fierce rivalry dating back to their first meeting in January 1909, and meet at least twice in the Serie A season and then additionally in domestic cups and in Europe.

Historically, Inter was observed as the club supported by the wealthy and rich of Milan (and nicknamed 'bauscia', a Milan term for the word 'show-off'). Milan, however, has been nicknamed 'casciavid', which means a blue-collar worker and was the club belonging to those of the working class folk.

Due to their more privileged backgrounds, Inter fans were more able to have the 'luxury' of attending games at the San Siro with a motorcycle. Fans of the Rossoneri, however, were only able to travel to the stadium by using public transport. Today, however, circumstances of the social classes in regards to the two Milan clubs have changed, with neither club having much of a direct relation to class status any longer.

The Derby di Milano is one of the only major crosstown derbies in football that share the same stadium. The San Siro is home to both Milan and Inter, and supporters of both clubs consider the shared venue their 'home'.

Who are the Milan derby all-time top scorers?

Former Milan forward Andriy Shevchenko currently holds the honour of being the Milan derby's record goalscorer, with 14 goals. 

Giuseppe Meazza – who played for both Inter and Milan – is next on 13 goals, followed by Gunnar Nordahl and Istvan Nyers who are both on 11 each.

*Correct as of September 2022.

Which team has won the most derbies?

The Milan derby is one of the oldest and most frequently played in football history. Including unofficial matches, it is a tie that has been contested on 303 occasions. Of those games, Milan have come out on top the most with 114 victories.

However, discounting unofficial matches, Inter enjoy the better of the records with 85 wins from 232 games. That domination has been reflected in the last four years as, since the start of the 2018-19 season, the Nerazzurri have won seven of the 11 match-ups, losing just twice.

Who has played for both Milan clubs?

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Inter legend Giuseppe Meazza – who is the only Italian to have lifted three World Cups – had a brief stint playing for Milan after 13 prolific years with the Nerazzurri. While at Inter, Meazza won three Serie A titles and gained a reputation for being one of the greatest players of his generation.

The likes of Ronaldo, Andrea Pirlo, Taribo West, Clarence Seedorf, Hernan Crespo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Giuseppe Favalli, Christian Vieri, Mario Balotelli, Giampaolo Pazzini, Sulley Muntari, Mancini, Mattias Silvestre and Leonardo Bonucci all made the switch to the Rossoneri, having also played for Inter at either youth or first-team capacity.

Roberto Baggio, Maurizio Ganz, Edgar Davids, Francesco Toldo, Patrick Vieira, Dario Simic, Cristian Brocchi, Thomas Helveg, Guly, Francesco Coco, Antonio Cassano and Fulvio Collovati were all plying their trade for Milan first, meanwhile, before eventually making the switch to Inter.

In the last few years, three players have joined the list of those to play for both sides as Matteo Darmian, Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi have all joined Inter having previously represented Milan.