But that version of the derby feels like something from the history books now. In 2025, when Manchester United and Manchester City meet, as they do on Sunday, the stakes are different; they’re broader and richer. This isn’t just about control of the city anymore. It’s global, it’s about what type of football club should define modern greatness and represent the city on the world stage.
City, sleek and surgically dominant, has emerged as the current embodiment of football’s ambition, data-led, oil-fuelled, and almost mechanical in their execution. United, suffering but still carrying one of the game’s heaviest shirts, are clinging to identity, history, and the ghost of a dynasty that once ruled England like clockwork.
This derby? It’s not just a match. It’s a mirror reflecting football’s evolution and the fight over which legacy will define Manchester for the next decade.
There was once a running joke, a painful one for City fans, that the Manchester Derby wasn’t even a rivalry. Sir Alex Ferguson, with his empire in red, famously dismissed City as “noisy neighbours” while sweeping up Premier League titles. For decades, United operated on a different plane, winning trophies while City cycled through managers and mediocrity.
Abu Dhabi’s arrival flipped the Premier League’s power map. City, almost overnight, went from punchline to power player. The money came fast, and the football philosophy followed. Roberto Mancini gave the Sky Blues an identity. Manuel Pellegrini added some swagger. Then Pep Guardiola turned them into a machine. Now, City have become one of the most feared teams in world football, even with this season’s inconsistency.
Since Fergie retired in 2013, United have struggled to define themselves. They’ve spent big, changed managers, and held onto past glory and all of its nostalgic value. City, meanwhile, built a blueprint, a pipeline of talent, a clear tactical identity, and quite incredible global expansion. The once-mocked neighbours now walk with their chests and elbows out!
What’s fascinating now is how the derby exposes something deeper than football ability; it unearths the existential questions both clubs face.
For United, every derby feels like a gut check. Can they still stand toe-to-toe with their rivals? Do they even know who they are anymore? When they win, it’s often framed as a return to “the United way.” When they lose, it’s another data point in a decline too painful to ignore.
For City, the derby isn’t about proving themselves locally anymore, it’s about legacy-building and reminding their once-dominant neighbours that the tides have turned. Every win tightens their grip on the city and chips away at United’s mythology. It’s not enough to dominate on the pitch.
Can City dominate the conversation, the culture, and the story of Manchester on the global sports scene, not just in football? Something once in full control of the Reds.
This is why the rivalry has more weight now, not less. City are having a bit of a setback season after an incredible run, a bit of a blip in Pep’s relentless chase for perfection.
United are in a season of transition again, with what feels like half a squad, poor form, managerial questions, and desperately needing a spark, but there does seem to be some glimmers of positivity cultivating under Ruben Amorim’s watchful eye.
Both teams are facing their own challenges, though City are clearly faring better. Still, derbies have a way of throwing logic out the window. They don’t care about xG, form tables, or winning streaks. One mistake, one flash of brilliance, and the entire momentum can shift. The fans sing louder; the players feel it and are reminded of who they’re playing for and what this match means to the city. Tackles come in harder, tempers flare quicker, and the chaos breeds magic. That’s the derby effect.
For City, a win would help to maintain their current position as Manchester’s dominant force. But for United, it would be a reminder to the Premier League and the global football scene that they’re a sleeping giant capable of beating some of the biggest and best. Beating City won’t fix the club’s immediate problems, but it might offer a glimpse of identity and a show of resilience. And for what the fans are going through this season, those bragging rights at work on Monday morning will be priceless.
The Manchester Derby has always been emotional, it’s symbolic. A clash between tradition and innovation. Between a club that has reached the top and looking towards the future and one haunted by its past. The result won’t just echo through Manchester, it’ll ripple across fanbases and the media around the world.
Because in the modern football era, nothing is truly local anymore. But make no mistake, this is still a fight for the soul of Manchester.
(Images from IMAGO)
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