Derby Della Madonnina - Rivalry Culture

Rivalry Culture

On December 16, 1899, Alfred Edwards and others founded the Milan Cricket and Football Club. Edwards, a former British vice-consul in Milan and a well-known personality of the Milanese high society, was the club's first elected president. Initially, the team included a cricket section, managed by Edward Berra, and a football section managed by David Allison. The Milan team soon gained relevant notability under Herbert Kilpin's guide. The first trophy to be won was the Medaglia del Re (King's Medal) on January 1900, and the team later won three national leagues, in 1901, 1906 and 1907. The triumph of 1901 was particularly relevant because it ended the consecutive series of wins of Genoa, which had been the only team to have won the title prior to 1901.

In 1908, issues over the signing of foreign players led to a split and the foundation of F.C. Internazionale Milano. In the past, Inter was seen as the club of the Milan bourgeoisie (nicknamed bauscia, a milanese term meaning "braggart"), whereas Milan (nicknamed casciavit, meaning in the milanese dialect "screwdriver", with both reference to the blue-collar worker, and to "awkward") was supported mainly by the city's working-class. However in the recent years this difference has mitigated, since Milan is now owned by former conservative Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi and Inter is owned by a centre-left businessman, Massimo Moratti.

During the mid-1960s, Inter was the more successful club, winning the European Cup twice in a row and the Intercontinental Cup twice in a row. However during the late 1980s and the 1990s Silvio Berlusconi's Milan was the more dominant team, with many victories both in Italy and in the European competitions.