Derby of the Eternal Enemies

The Derby of the Eternal Enemies, also known among fans as the Mother of All Battles , is an association football derby contested between two of the most successful clubs of Greece, Olympiacos from Piraeus and Panathinaikos from the capital Athens. The derby is traditionally included among the world's top 10 greatest football derbies by the international media, along with rivalries such as Real Madrid–Barcelona, Liverpool–Manchester United and Boca Juniors–River Plate. American network CNN has ranked the Olympiacos–Panathinaikos derby among the ten greatest football rivalries of all-time. In October 2014, BBC named the Olympiacos–Panathinaikos derby as "Europe's maddest derby" and in September 2019, Daily Mirror ranked the derby of the eternal enemies as the fifth most important derby in the world.

History

Cultural rivalry

The rivalry between the two top Greek clubs can be traced back to some social, cultural and regional differences. Panathinaikos, founded in 1908, comes from the centre of Athens and was considered the classic representative of the high class and old Athenian society of the Greek capital. On the other hand, Olympiacos was founded in 1925 and comes from Piraeus, the port city just on the outskirts of Athens, thus attracting supporters from the surrounding working class areas. Both cities have played a major role in Greek history since classical antiquity. These class differences between the people in the homelands of the two clubs offered further reasons for the animosity between their fans. Olympiacos' early success provided a way for the people of Piraeus to express their contempt for the wealthier classes, by which Panathinaikos was heavily supported. Furthermore, Olympiacos attracted fans from all over Greece who believed themselves to be victims of social and political unfairness. However, this kind of clash was much more pronounced in the past, as the class differences between the fanbases have faded out and the social gap that once separated the two sides has closed over the years. Today, both clubs boast fanbases that represent all social classes.

Fans' rivalry

Olympiacos and Panathinaikos are the most popular Greek clubs, with both sides having large fanbases that follow them in domestic and international matches. Football hooliganism is a very common phenomenon between their fans in recent years, featuring anything from breaking seats and fighting to fireworks and street rioting.

Football rivalry

Both clubs compete with each other for the title of the most successful football club in the country, as well as the greatest Greek sports club overall. Their football departments have always been the most attractive among their fans and they have a long-standing antagonism since they first met in the fields, but the rivalry also extends into other team sports such as basketball, volleyball and water polo. Domestically, Olympiacos is the most successful football club in Greece, having won a record 81 major official titles compared to Panathinaikos' 44 titles and also being the most successful in their head-to-head fixtures. Until 2024, Panathinaikos boasted of their better performance in European competitions. Their greatest success is the participation in the European Cup final in 1971, two semi-final appearances in the UEFA Champions League (1985, 1996) and four quarter-final appearances in the UEFA Champions League (1992, 2002) and UEFA Europa League (1988,2003). This changed in 2024, when Olympiacos won the UEFA Conference League, becoming the first Greek team to win an official UEFA´s title. Other top performances are their campaign to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in 1999 and their campaign to the quarter-finals of the 1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup

Statistics

Head-to-head

Records

Matches list

Super League Greece (1959 – present)

1 Match suspended at 82nd minute (score: 3–2). Olympiacos were awarded a 2–0 win. 2 Match suspended at 82nd minute (score: 0–1). Olympiacos were awarded a 0–3 win. 3 Match suspended before the kickoff after a firework touched an Olympiacos' player sport jogger. Olympiacos were awarded a 0–3 win. 4 Match suspended at 70th minute (score: 0–1). Olympiacos were awarded a 0–3 win. 5 Match suspended at 55th minute (score: 1–1) after a Panathinaikos' player was injured and transferred to the hospital because of a firecracker that burst next to him. The player was diagnosed with horizontal nystagmus. Panathinaikos were awarded a 0–3 win. 1st place play-off match – Title match

Greek Cup

1 Panathinaikos didn't show up in the match, due to a punishment because of fielding a suspended player. • Series won: Olympiacos 19, Panathinaikos 10.

Greek League Cup

• Series won: Olympiacos 1, Panathinaikos 0.

Top scorers

1 Including League Cup games.

Penalties

Including all the Alpha Ethniki, Greek Cup and League Cup games since 1959–60.

Red cards