7 Crazy Facts Every Fan Must Know About the Derby d’Italia

Italy has a culture of historic derbies, but among them, the Derby d’Italia is more than a Serie A fixture; it is the flagship match of Italian club football. This derby was given this title in 1967 by the Italian journalist Gianni Brera because, at the time, those two teams were the most successful and widely supported clubs, and the only ones never to have been relegated from the top flight.

Since then, the derby has been marred by scandals, title races, court cases, and outrageous scorelines that turned a rivalry into something closer to a political soap opera than a football match. In this article, we have curated a list of 7 crazy facts about this historic derby.

1. It Was Named “The Derby of Italy” Because Nobody Else Came Close

Calling a particular fixture, the Derby of Italy, might seem cocky and arrogant, but it was chosen for a reason. In 1967, famed journalist Gianni Brera used the phrase to describe Juventus vs Inter Milan, as they were the most successful clubs in Italian football and the only clubs never to drop down from the top division.

According to ESPN, the derby was famous for representing the two largest cities in Northern Italy, Turin and Milan. For all these reasons, the name stuck, and even AC Milan, AS Roma, and Napoli, along with others, had their eras. This fixture still carries their “national derby” aura even after Calciopoli in 2006, with Juventus being relegated and losing that ‘never relegated’ badge, leaving it as the only club never to have gon down, just another twist that only deepened the rivalry’s mythology.

2. The 9-1 Game Score: Inter Sent the Kids Out in Protest…and Got Thrashed

9-1 is a game score that sounds like a FIFA video game score, but it was the end result on 10 June 1961, and this game has a backstory even more remarkable than the score. At the original 1960-61 league meeting in Turin, overcrowded stands led to a pitch invasion, which led to Inter being awarded the match, but AFIGC later overturned that decision and ordered a replay.

Inter president Angelo Moratti accused the federation of favouring Juventus because Umberto Agnelli, the then FIGC president, belonged to the family that owned Juve. To protest this, Inter Milan decided to field their youth team in this match. According to Juventus' official sources, this was the biggest victory in Juve's history, with their team featuring stars like Omar Sivori, who scored six of the nine goals, while Inter scored only a consolation goal. As you see, this has been the history of this derby from the get-go, farce part statement - all soap opera level drama.

3. The 1998 Ronaldo-luliano Incident Reverberated Beyond Football

One of the fiercest controversies in Derby d’Italia history occurred on 26 April 1998 in Turin, when Inter’s superstar, the Phenomenon Ronaldo, was fouled in the penalty area but no penalty was awarded, while shortly after, Juventus were awarded a penalty in what was a pivotal match between the teams for the season title.

To this day, this match remains a sore point for Inter fans, as the incident was discussed in Italy’s Parliament in April 1998, when politicians debated the state of fairness in Italian sport following the fixture.

4. Calciopoli Dramatically Altered the Rivalry

The 2006 Calciopoli scandal is one of the biggest crises to hit Italian football, and its effects haven’t yet been fully erased from Serie A. Juventus were ‘punished’ with relegation to Serie B and had their 2004-05 title revoked, with the 2005-06 title assigned to Inter by the FIGC.

Official sources such as Reuters and Forbes report that Juventus’ subsequent legal actions lasted for years and shaped perceptions on both sides, further deepening the rivalry. Juve has officially dropped their claims for appeal in 2024 after Italy’s Council of State effectively closed the door on their demands. Every Derby d’Italia since has been played with that unresolved resentment in the background, one side wearing a Scudetto, the other still believing it was stolen from them in a courtroom, not on a pitch.

5. The Scudetto That Slipped Away While Juve Celebrated Somewhere Else

One of the most painful days in Inter history was May 5th, 2002, and is known among Inter supporters as Cinque Maggio. While this event doesn’t directly involve Juventus, as the facts above do, the shadow of the Derby d’Italia has its hooks in it, too. Inter went into the final day of the 2002 season top of the table and “just” needed to beat Lazio in Rome to clinch the title. Instead, according to ESPN, they were thrashed 4-2

At the same time, Juventus won a calm 2-0 against Udinese and thus snatched the Scudetto from Inter Milan. The lasting image etched into fans' minds is Ronaldo in tears on the Inter Milan bench as the title slipped away, while Juve players celebrated miles away in Friuli. For Juventus supporters, this became yet another reason to treat Derby d’Italia anxiety as part of the fun: even when they are not on the same pitch, the two clubs’ destinies seem to always remain entangled.

6. From 9-1 to 4-4 and 4-3: This Derby Loves Ridiculous Scorelines

This derby has a habit of going completely off the rails on the scoreboard. We already mentioned 9-1 in 1961, but Inter’s biggest win is a 6-0 thrashing of Juventus in 1954. Early meetings produced other goalfests like 7-2 and 6-1; either way, pre-war Serie A looked like a pinball machine whenever these two met.

The chaos hasn’t stopped in the modern era. In October 2024, Inter and Juve drew 4-4 at San Siro, the first time goals had been scored in the first half of a Derby d’Italia in Serie A history. Less than a year later, in 2025, they produced a 4-3 thriller in September in Turin, with Adzic smashing the last-minute winning goal for Juventus. These scores point out that no match is ever a 0-0 cagey fixture, and expecting one tends to make a fool of you.

7. It’s the Rivalry That Just Keeps Adding Chapters

By early 2025, the derby had been played more than 260 times in official competition, making it one of the most frequently contested big-club fixtures in Europe. According to official sources like Juventus and Goal, Juve have the edge in league meetings. The club’s records show they’ve won more Serie A games against Inter than against any other opponent and have scored more goals against the Nerazzurri than against any other team.

And yet, the story never settles. Recent editions have included behind-closed-doors COVID games, VAR controversies, title-race six-pointers, late wonder-goals and tactical chess matches that feel like mini-finals. Every new referee decision, court ruling or transfer rumour gets folded into a century-long narrative. That’s the craziest fact of all, the Derby d’Italia isn’t just a match you watch. It’s an ongoing, multi-generational saga that Italian football keeps rewriting, 90 minutes at a time.

The Rivalry that Writes History

Derby d’Italia has everything: historic thrashings, cup finals, treble-defining heartbreak, soap opera-level betrayals, relegation scandals and a hold on the Scudetto. Whether you tune in for the tactics, the drama or just the chaos, Juventus vs Inter Milan reliably delivers the kind of “how is this real?” moments that justify its billing as Italy’s ultimate football classic. Want to attend this fixture? Book your tickets via 1BoxOffice for genuine tickets with a 150% money-back guarantee.