Man United vs Man City: The Manchester Derby (wothappen.com)

Manchester is one of the biggest and most significant cities in England. Its significance lies in the fact that apart from coming second in terms of population, Manchester has a rich industrial heritage that makes the city well known in and outside of England. There are two football clubs that were born in this city, namely Manchester City and Manchester United who have for a long time now been rivals to one another. This rivalry dates back to over a century ago and is present even nowadays. 

Every season in Manchester, the two clubs gather in one stadium and play against each other. This is called the Manchester’s clubs derby and this year it will take place on the 28^th of October and next year on the 3^rd of February. Based on the clubs’ performances, there are already bets on who will win this year’s match. The whole event is overly exciting and gathers fans from all over the world in Manchester every year. In today’s article we will have a look at the Manchester Derby origin and its journey over the years, by concluding on the prognosis on this year’s winner. So, let’s get started! 

Origins of the rivalry

As briefly mentioned previously, the rivalry between the two clubs started ever since their establishment, that was in the late 19^th century. It might be an interesting fact for all readers who don’t know already that both clubs had different names when they were first founded. The club that we know today as Manchester City was initially named St. Mark’s (West Gorton), while today’s Manchester United was known as Newton Heath LYR Football Club. Manchester United was founded back in 1878, while Manchester City came two years after, in 1880. 

Ever since they were created, the clubs divided the city and fans worldwide into two groups and have been in rivalry until today. Although both groups have represented the city of Manchester in competitions worldwide and have brought back many trophies, when it comes to each other, they are enemies. The matches between the two started ever since 1881, however, in the beginning they were friendly matches. As the year passed by and the rivalry intensified, the clubs started having competitive matches which gave rise to the Manchester Derby that continues to happen even today every year.

The Modern Era: United vs. City

In today’s world of football, Manchester United and Manchester City are amongst the most well-established and successful football clubs worldwide. On one hand, we have Manchester United which was led by the legend coach himself, Sir Alex Ferguson, for over 26 years in a row. During this time, the club had an immense amount of success, both within the country and also at an international level, such as pioneering in the Premier League. Additionally, Man United brought back home many titles and trophies during this successful era. Recently, the exciting news was announced that David Beckham is looking at possibilities to buy the Manchester United club.

On the other hand, Man City also excelled particularly in the 21^st century since many investors were interested in acquiring the club and hence, sponsored it significantly. Just like Man United, Man City was also earning titles in the local but also international stage. This success of both clubs appeared to add fuel to an existing fire between the two, since the more success they were having, the bigger the competition was getting. At the moment, the club is under Pep Guardiola’s management who has been at the top of the club for seven years now and his contract will last until 2025.

Iconic Moments and Memorable Matches

Since the clubs have been playing against each other for almost a century now, there have been many memorable matches over the years. One of those matches that has remained in our memory is the 2012 Premier League game between the two clubs. This match is also known as the Aguero match because Manchester City’s player of that time Sergio Aguero scored and secured the title for his club. Then, another crazy game was recorder in 2018 where Man City won again against Man United with a result of 3-1. Apart from those, there are many other iconic moments that were documented during the matches between the two clubs and the OG fans still eagerly remember them. 

Conclusion

The Manchester derby is still a thrilling event that captures the spirit of a football rivalry. For this year’s great derby in October, it is predicted that based on their overall performance, Manchester City has more chances of winning. However, no matter what the result between these two clubs, one thing is for sure; both of them are great clubs and the city of Manchester is proud to have them. The Manchester derby has a lasting history in the hearts of football fans everywhere, from its ancient origins to its contemporary confrontations nowadays. The rivalry between the two Manchester clubs is still strong and promises to produce plenty more memorable moments and intense matches in the years to come.