FA Cup final: How does Manchester derby compare to football’s fiercest rivalries?

So great has the shifting of power been in Manchester that few would have believed the suggestion a decade ago it would be the blue side gunning to win a Treble rather than their red neighbours.

With United aiming to prevent City equalling their own unprecedented achievement, and doing so in the first all-Manchester FA Cup final, BBC Sport looks at how this fixture sizes up to some of the other city derbies in world football.

The Manchester derby

From backheel goals to humiliatingly one-sided scorelines and cult heroes crossing the divide, the Manchester derby has a more storied past than most.

For so long it was a tale of a dominant, all conquering outfit against their embattled, less glamourous, ‘noisy neighbours’. But the past decade has seen fortunes unequivocally change hands, following City’s takeover by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour in 2008.

The team that for so long stood in the shadows of their world-renowned rivals are now the ones casting the gloom.

AC Milan v Inter – ‘Derby della Madonnina’

A rivalry unlike few others in the game, the ‘Derby della Madonnina’ is likened by fans of both sides to the competitive edge shared between cousins rather than mortal enemies.

It is quite fitting then that one club was formed by breaking away from the other and, that like many extended families, they occupy the same home turf.

With a matchday atmosphere so electric it has been known to make the iconic San Siro shake underfoot, giving the illusion it too is swaying along to the choreography of the fans.

It’s not hard to see why this derby is a fixture on many a football fans’ bucket list.

North London derby

With just four miles separating the home stadia of Arsenal and Tottenham, the rivalry between these two clubs was initially born out of proximity.

With Arsenal being the third-most decorated side in English football, their fans have enjoyed many a celebration at Tottenham’s expense – most notably sealing the league title at White Hart Lane back in 2004.

Plenty of players have risked the wrath of fans on either side of the divide by swapping one club for the other.

The most famous was Englishman Sol Campbell, who moved to better his chances of winning silverware, which he duly secured (ouch!).

Rangers v Celtic – ‘The Old Firm’

The Glasgow derby has in the past been marred by fan violence, with historical religious differences meaning this rivalry runs deep off the field.

Scotland’s two biggest clubs are also each other’s biggest rivals for silverware – whether you are a ‘Bhoy,’ or a ‘Ger,’, the prospect of winning trophies or denying your rival claiming them just adds to the appeal.

This derby rarely fails to deliver in terms of passion, incident and entertainment.

Sevilla v Real Betis – ‘El Gran Derbi’

Fought in the city of Seville in the heart of Andalucia, or the ‘Frying pan of Spain,’ El Gran Derbi between Sevilla and Real Betis certainly brings plenty of fire and passion.

Local is indeed the most befitting word to describe this clash. Current club captains Jesus Navas and Joaquin – who is retiring at the end of the season – are Seville-born and graduated from academy to first team, leading their respective boyhood clubs to silverware.

Divided between red and white and green and white, there’s absolutely no room for split loyalties when derby day arrives.

Boca Juniors v River Plate – ‘El Superclasico ‘

The Superclasico between Argentine giants Boca Juniors and River Plate is considered one of football’s must-see rivalries. Although visit at your own peril.

The hatred runs so deep between these two Buenos Aires neighbours that the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final between had to be postponed due to fan violence.

The rearranged fixture was moved to a different continent to avoid a repeat of the ugly scenes witnessed between home fans and the away team bus.

The unwavering loyalty on both sides sees the occasion teeter on the line between order and chaos long before (and for quite some time after) the match itself.

Red Star Belgrade v Partisan Belgrade – ‘The Eternal derby’

A fixture which dates back to 1947, the battle to be kings of Belgrade is as fierce a derby as you’ll find anywhere in football.

Partizan and Red Star have shared 24 of 25 Serbian league titles between them, with the latter having also won the Champions League in 1990-91.

Yet matters on the pitch are often secondary to the rivalry in the stands.

Red Star’s ‘Heroes’ and Partizan’s ‘Gravediggers’ provide a fervent atmosphere to the occasion, with violence the inevitable result.

No other occasion in the city receives such a strong policing presence as when these sides meet.

Galatasaray v Fenerbahce – ‘Intercontinental derby’

What began as a friendly rivalry between two clubs sharing a home city is now the source of one of the most deep-seated dislikes in football.

The catalyst for this switch from best friends to fickle foes came in 1934, when the desire to win got so intense the fixture descended into fighting on the pitch and in the stands.

Plenty of unsavoury events have continued to mar this fixture throughout its history; the infamous Graeme Souness flag incident, ‘The Water derby,’ and recurring street rioting between rival supporters groups.

With nearly equal support for both clubs throughout Turkey, the significance spreads nationwide.

Corinthians v Palmeiras – ‘Derby Paulista’

While other rivalries across Brazil’s big cities are occasions of celebration, Sao Paulo’s Derby Paulista between Corinthians and Palmeiras is considered serious business.

With acutely similar origin stories, the clubs could be mistaken for kindred spirits rather than rivals.

With a record attendance of 120,000 fans, this game brings an atmosphere rarely seen anywhere throughout the world.

At this fixture’s centre, amid the fireworks, flares and banners, often lies a highly competitive and entertaining game of football.

Olympiakos v Panathinaikos – ‘The derby of the eternal enemies’

Olympiakos and Panathinaikos is a derby so fierce that it brings the great city of Athens to a standstill for days on end.

A fixture that began as a class divide between the establishment of Ancient Athens and the merchants of Piraeus, the ‘derby of eternal enemies’ is marked by one distinct theme: mutual hatred.

Both clubs have good reason to claim superiority; Olympiakos are the outright leader of Greek titles won, while Panathinaikos flew the flag for Greece in European competition.

This century-long rivalry has certainly seen more than its fair share of title tussles, hooliganism, and violence.