- Cristiano Ronaldo/Lionel Messi: Considered the top two soccer players in the entire world, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi find themselves on opposite sides of the Real Madrid CF vs. FC Barcelona soccer feud. Neither has won a World Cup, but both have come close as Messi brought his Argentina squad to the finals in 2014 while Ronaldo led Portugal to a fourth place finish back in 2006. In all, they have played each other 27 times with Messi coming out on top in 12 games compared to Ronaldo’s eight.
- Harvard University/Yale University Football: Beginning in November 1875, Harvard and Yale football have faced off in “The Game” 131 times. While Yale leads the series 65-58-8, Harvard has dominated in the 2000s, winning the past eight contests and 13 out of the past 15. At one point, the rivalry got so violent that it was forced to take a two-year hiatus.
- Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal: Federer has the most Grand Slam titles of all time while Nadal holds a 23-10 advantage in the series. The No. 2 player in the world, Federer holds multiple records including 17 Grand Slam titles, seven Wimbledon titles and five U.S Open titles. His adversary, Nadal, owns 14 career Grand Slam titles and has been absolutely dominant on the clay courts of the French Open where he has won a record nine times. The rivalry came to a climactic head in the 2008 Wimbledon final where the then-second ranked Nadal defeated the top-ranked Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7 (5-7), 6–7 (8-10), 9–7 in arguably the best tennis match of all time.
- Green Bay Packers/Chicago Bears: Meeting 190 times altogether, the Packers and the Bears are the most storied rivals in the National Football League. While the Bears hold a two-game margin of victory over their rivals from Wisconsin, it is the Packers who have lifted the trophy named after their legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, four times to Chicago’s one. The offensive star-driven Packers have been graced by Hall-of-Fame caliber quarterbacks such as Bart Starr, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Further down Lake Michigan, the Bears have seen success due to their refrigerator-like men: Dick Butkus and Mike Ditka. The rivalry has been a stranglehold in recent years, as Jay Cutler’s Bears have often floundered against Rodgers and the Packers.
- Boston Celtics/Los Angeles Lakers: The pinnacle of basketball franchises, the Celtics and the Lakers have accounted for 33 of the 68 NBA championships. The rivalry first began in the early days of modern professional basketball in 1959. Both teams have met 12 times in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics winning nine. The difference between the Celtics and Lakers rivalry is the inner-rivalries between members of the squads. Beginning with Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain in the late 1960s, the Celtics and Lakers rivalry has been characterized by great players and greater teams. The rivalry grew in the ’80s with the additions of Larry Bird to the Celtics and Magic Johnson to the Lakers. Picking up with two more NBA Finals meetings in this century, the rivalry has been ushered into the new millennium with the help of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and Celtics great Paul Pierce.
- Duke University/University of North Carolina Basketball: In terms of college basketball, rivalries get no better than the Tobacco Road Rivalry between Duke and North Carolina. The teams have met 239 times since the first matchup in 1920. North Carolina currently holds a 133-106 series lead, including a 73-69 victory over Duke in the only time the two teams have met in the postseason: the 1971 National Invitation Tournament Final Four. Memorable games include February 2014 in which the unranked Tar Heels upset the Blue Devils 74-66. Both teams have their legends in the forms of North Carolina’s Michael Jordan and Duke’s legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.
- Boston Bruins/Montreal Canadiens: The only hockey rivalry to make this list, the Bruins and Canadiens are two of the biggest, baddest and fiercest teams in all of sports. Both have legends, the Bruins with star defensemen Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque and the Canadiens with impregnable goalies Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy. As a whole, the Canadiens hold an edge over the B’s with 25 playoff series victories out of the 34 meetings. Yet in recent memory, with the exception of the 2014 playoffs, it has been the team from Boston who has had the upper hand as the Bruins knocked off the Habs seven out of the last 12 times.
- Tom Brady/Peyton Manning: Two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time have faced off 16 times with New England’s No.12 winning 11 of them. The two have met in the playoffs four times, both winning two, and 12 times in the regular season where Brady won the first six matchups. In regard to both players’ legacies, Tom Brady has won four Super Bowls with receivers like David Givens and Dion Branch, while Manning has managed just one with future and present Hall of Famers Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. A storied rivalry that is seemingly close to its end, it appears the great debate has been settled: Brady is better.
- University of Michigan/Ohio State University Football: By far the best rivalry in all of football, Michigan and Ohio State feature two of college football’s most premier teams of all time. For more than a century, both teams have complied a total of 1,778 wins and 19 National Championships, most recently with the Buckeyes’ 2015 victory. The rivalry heated up under Michigan coach Bo Schembechler and Ohio State’s Woody Hayes during a period called “The 10 Year War.” Starting with Michigan’s miraculous victory in 1969, the ensuing decade was characterized by close, cutthroat games with a trip to the Rose Bowl at stake. Recently, the Buckeyes have dominated, winning ten out of the past 11 matchups including 2006’s battle between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan.
- Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees: The crown jewel of all rivalries, the Red Sox and the Yankees first met in 1901 and have battled constantly for 114 years. Characterized by the brawls between Carlton Fisk and Thurman Munson, and Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez, the hatred held between the two teams and their respective fans rivals no other. The Yankees have prided themselves on winning 27 championships and cursing the Red Sox for 86 years with the sale of Babe Ruth. The Red Sox, however, dealt New York a heavy dose of revenge with their improbable comeback in 2004 thanks to the heroics of Dave Roberts, Curt Schilling and David Ortiz. While the Yankees hold the series lead by 180 wins, it is the Red Sox who have found themselves champions three times since that glorious comeback in 2004.
