This day in football history

On 18 October 1908, AC Milan and Inter played the first Milan derby. In Switzerland.

The match came less than a year after Inter’s formation. The new club had branched off from AC Milan in March 1908 after a dispute about the propriety of signing foreign players (Inter favored it, hence the adoption of “Internazionale” as the club’s name).

The first meeting between the two clubs came in the Coppa Chiasso, a tournament played in the the Canton of Ticino in southern Switzerland. Milan had won the tournament’s first two editions. Played in 1906 and 1907, they consisted of three and four teams, respectively. For the 1908 tournament, the field expanded to six teams, including the newly formed Inter. The two Milanese teams reached the final, which Milan won 2–1.

Including that first match, the two clubs have now met a total of 216 times. Inter has won 77 of those matches and AC Milan 75. The remaining 64 fixtures have been draws.