{"id":65111,"date":"2026-08-04T20:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/65111\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T20:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:54:15","slug":"calcio-italiano-inside-derby-della-madonnina-as-inter-milan-and-ac-milan-prepare-to-face-off-in-perth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/65111\/","title":{"rendered":"Calcio Italiano: Inside \u2018Derby della Madonnina\u2019 as Inter Milan and AC Milan prepare to face off in Perth"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the words of footballing great Christian Panucci, a man who represented both AC Milan and Internazionale, the \u2018Derby della Madonnina\u2019 is \u201cnever a friendly match\u201d.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday night, one of football\u2019s most iconic rivalries will come to Perth, as Optus Stadium prepares to host a rare Milan derby outside of the world\u2019s fashion capital.<\/p>\n

It will be just the eighth time in the rivalry\u2019s storied 118-year history the pair have faced off outside of Italy. Ironically, the first-ever match between the two took place in Switzerland in 1908.<\/p>\n

There have been three Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup) meetings between AC and Inter which have taken place outside of Europe, including two in Saudi Arabia in recent years; Shenzen in China and Foxborough and New York in America have also hosted pre-season games.<\/p>\n

Even though it is not an official game, Perth punters can count their blessings to be part of a small group of cities lucky enough to witness the blockbuster clash.<\/p>\n

And make no mistake, even though both AC Milan coach Ruben Amorim and Inter head honcho Cristian Chivu were jovial enough at their pre-game photo opportunity on Tuesday, both would like early bragging rights ahead of the looming Serie A season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are competitive and when you are in this club, you want to win, no matter what. So we are going to try to do that,\u201d Amorim said.<\/p>\n

\"InterCamera IconInter Milan coach Cristian Chivu and AC Milan coach Ruben Amorim. Credit: Andrew Ritchie\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are two clubs worldwide-known, and everybody is keen to watch the derby worldwide. It\u2019s always been a good game to watch, a good game to play,\u201d Chivu said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always important, always different playing a derby compared to the other game. It\u2019s different for the players that came from our academy.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a derby emboldened by the two teams\u2019 success and one emblazoned by the pairs ultras (hardcore fans), who light up their meetings with flares, tifos (banners) and incessant chanting to create a wall of noise and colour.<\/p>\n

Whether fans sit in \u2018Curva Nord\u2019 (the home of Inter\u2019s ultras) or \u2018Curva Sud (their AC counterparts), there is a healthy dislike of the other come their typical two Serie A clashes per year.<\/p>\n

\"MarcoCamera IconMarco Materazzi of Inter Milan and Rui Costa of AC Milan look on as Inter fans shower the pitch with flares during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg in 2005. Credit: Mike Hewitt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The rivalry stems from a historical societal divide between the two, where Inter\u2019s fans were traditionally upper-class and Milan\u2019s more blue-collar.<\/p>\n

What they have in common, is success.<\/p>\n

Milan\u2019s two clubs have claimed 40 Serie A titles (21 to Inter), 15 Coppa Italias and 10 Champions League trophies (seven to AC), while Inter can also claim three Europa Super League wins (back when it was known as the UEFA Cup).<\/p>\n

A look through the annuls of the match-up\u2019s history reveals a fixture dominated by a who\u2019s who of footballing legends: the late Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Ronaldo, Andriy Shevchenko, Kaka, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Javier Zanetti, Christian Vieri and now Luka Modric.<\/p>\n

\"LukaCamera IconLuka Modric, AC Milan\u2019s newest big-name acquisition. Credit: NurPhoto\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Adding to the rivalry is their shared home, one of the world\u2019s most iconic stadiums: the architectural design triumph that is the San Siro, with its towering, spiralling ramps in each corner and jutting red roof accompanyments.<\/p>\n

Its official moniker, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, celebrates the man who scored more than 280 goals in almost 400 games for Inter in between the world wars before spending two seasons at AC Milan.<\/p>\n

There are plenty more than just Meazza and Panucci who have represented both teams. Ronaldo, Vieri, Ibrahimovic, three of the game\u2019s best strikers over the past 30 years, have donned both jerseys, as have fellow greats Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids and current Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu.<\/p>\n

But despite the similarities, it has never taken away from the passion of the game and while matches against fellow giants Juventus are big occassions, they do not quite top the spectacle which entrances Italy\u2019s second-biggest city.<\/p>\n

There will be some who attempt to downplay the match as just a pre-season game, but those involved would disagree.<\/p>\n

\"YannCamera IconYann Bisseck of Inter. Credit: Mattia Pistoia – Inter\/Inter via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that the fact that it\u2019s a friendly is going to change big things. At the end, it is still Inter against AC,\u201d Inter Milan defender Yann Bisseck said on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can only speak for my squad. We\u2019re going to take it as seriously as any other game, try to get ready for the season and try to win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bisseck said while the club\u2019s overarching goal was to continue their preparations for the upcoming Serie A season as best as possible, the rivalry between the two sides was always tangible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all know that some games are just bigger than other games. In Italy, for us, the games against AC, it\u2019s a little bit different,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe share the same city, we share the same stadium, it\u2019s a little bit of bragging rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, the most important thing is to win the championship \u2014 but if we can win the championship and beat them at the same time, it\u2019s the cherry on top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amorim, a recent appointment to Milan after a disappointing tenure at Manchester United, is a long-time fan of the club, he cannot wait to coach in one.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy answer will be Milan. That is not a question,\u201d Amorim said after being asked who fence-sitting neutrals should support on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that if you see just the (last) few years now, Inter is winning more than us \u2014 but Milan is Milan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will say Milan all the way because Milan is not just about the titles; Milan is about something you cannot buy. For me, since I\u2019m a young kid, Milan is all the way for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust pick up YouTube and watch the videos, and you will see why I chose Milan.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the words of footballing great Christian Panucci, a man who represented both AC Milan and Internazionale, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65112,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[335,79,261],"class_list":["post-65111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-perth","tag-perth","tag-soccer","tag-sport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}