60 million fans, 22 red cards in one match, and an attack with metal pipes: Inside El Super Clasico,
- Over the next two weeks, Insider will count down and detail the 10 most fierce rivalry matches in world soccer.
- In seventh place is Chivas de Guadalajara versus Club America, a Mexican matchup known better as "El Super Clasico."
- Read below about the history of El Super Clasico and what makes it one of the mostly hotly contested derbies across the globe.
- Keep up to date with the series here.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Not to be confused with the "Superclasico" (we will come to that later in the series), El Super Clasico is a mighty Mexican matchup between the country's two most popular and successful teams, Chivas de Guadalajara and Club America.
According to Goal, the two sides are the second and third most supported on earth, with Chivas boasting 33.8 million fans worldwide and America, 29.4 million.
The pair's intense rivalry however is not (though it certainly helps) rooted in their respective successes and massive global followings, but rather in their contrasting ethos'.
Chivas is for the Mexico, America is for the world
Chivas is known as "equipo del pueblo" — a team for the people, by the people, which, to this day, only fields Mexican born players.
America on the other hand is seen as the team for the wealthy, so much so one its nicknames is "Los Millonarios," or "The Millionaires." It has a reputation for buying some of the finest talents from North and South America.
The pair first met in August 1943 in the inaugural Copa Mexico, which meant for the first time teams from across the country's different regional leagues were able to face off in structured competition. Chivas won the tie 1-0.
The formation of Liga MX really spruced up the pair's rivalry
Just two months after their inaugural meeting, Liga MX was officially formed, bringing together 10 founding teams, including Chivas and America, from Mexico's regional leagues.
And with the pair now meeting regularly, it didn't take long for their rivalry to heat up.
According to Rabona TV, during a meeting in February 1944 a mass brawl between the two sets of players erupted in the 30th minute following a nasty challenge from one of America's defenders.
Four players were sent off, two from each team, and America went on to win 7-2.
The morning after, the headline of the local paper read: "America beat Guadalajara 7-2 in a game of football and boxing."
But the clash was tame compared to those that followed years later
Two games that are remembered well (for the wrong reasons) are "The Brawls of 1983 and 1986."
During the former, Chivas pulled off an astonishing 3-0 win at America's Estadio Azteca, however the match was marred by terrible and frequent fouls, poor refereeing, and two massive team fights.
So hostile was the atmosphere, the referee ended up walking off having totally lost control, according to ESPN.
Three years later, the two were at it again, but this time it was much worse. Sparked by some controversial dismissal of Chivas' Fernando Quirarte, all 22 players became involved in a huge fight, resulting in the referee showing everyone red cards and abandoning the game.
The violence often extends off the pitch too
In 2018, America fan Hilario Cruz was severely beaten up by Chivas fans outside the Grape Bowl in Lodi, California. The two teams often play each other at venues in the United States.
TMZ reports Cruz lost an eye and was left with brain damage after he was mercilessly beaten with metal pipes by the group simply because he was wearing an America jersey.
The incident expanded into a full-scale brawl that involved more than 100 people.
A year later, Cruz and his attorney said they were preparing to sue the organizers of the match, says TMZ.
Read more:
Insider's 10 fiercest derbies in world soccer: 'The Revierderby' — Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04
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