It is quite an unnatural sight to see, when two great clubs with a vast history of success in the same city take a liking for one another. Take the Manchester derby for example, or the Derby della Madonnina (Milan derby) in Italy, or the Old Firm derby in Scotland, and one commonality is the hostility and acrimony shared between the two contesting sides. However, that's exactly what set the Merseyside side derby between Liverpool and Everton apart. Called the 'Friendly Derby', supporters of both sides used to share stands and each other's revelry in the olden days. Times have changed since, with games between the two sides in the more recent day marred with malevolence and spite. Not many stories in football however are as enriching, or as exciting, as the story of Merseyside.

Everton, having now competed a record 108 seasons in the English top division, was founded as a football club in 1878, with the side then playing their football at Anfield. Interestingly, the formation of Liverpool had a lot to do with their neighbour club, as Everton, after having a dispute with the owner of Anfield John Houlding over the fixed-rent they paid for using the ground, relocated to Goodison Park, where they've been based since 1892. Following that, Houlding, having no one playing at his ground, founded his own club called Everton Athletic. The Football League refused to acknowledge another side with the name of Everton, so the side were forcibly renamed Liverpool Football Club.

Among the greatest sporting traditions that still exist, the Manchester derby surely is one of the most hallowed in terms of history, and most fierce in terms of competition. The two clubs, originating in the North-West of England, have shared a deep-rooted history and rivalry, dating back to the 1800's, when Manchester United and Manchester City were still called Newton Heath and St. Mark's respectively, being their parent clubs. A lot has happened since then, with the duo now being reckoned as two of the biggest clubs in England as well as the world.

The arch-rivals currently hold the two pre-eminent trophies of English Football - the Premier League and FA Cup respectively, and are set to meet each other in the 160^th Manchester Derby in the FA Community Shield on 7^th August 2011 - the annual curtain raiser to the English Football Season. This represents only their second clash in the friendly cup-final, previously called the Charity Shield, but one can safely assume that it'll be anything but friendly. The fraternal call is least summoned in our times, as City's rise as a major financial player in world football post Sheikh Mansour's acquisition has launched them to the horizons of immediate success and sent shockwaves in the established World Order of Football, whose epicenter certainly lies at Old Trafford.

Every sport boasts of a long list of stand-out performers, gems that lit up their game for however brief a moment. Their glory captured in a time capsule, forever evoking memories of a bygone golden era. Football has been fortunate to be littered with magical moments throughout its existence. Numerous sides can lay claim to being the greatest of them all. But greatness is largely a subjective exercise, built on individual experiences and emotions. But then there also exists the empirical truth. Most "great" sides ruled the roost for a couple of seasons, flashing brightly for a brief period in football's long history. But Real Madrid proved to be the exception as they flattened everything in their path for almost a decade. The legendary Madrid side captured five successive European Cups between 1956 & 60, a record that hasn't been under threat in the years since and is unlikely to ever be broken.

On the 50th anniversary of Madrid's famous 1960 European Cup win, BBC Sport official named that Madrid side of Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas (both in above pic)and Gento as the best footballing side in the history of the game. They got the unanimous vote over other great sides like the Ajax team of the early 70's, Bayern Munich of the late 70's, the Milan side of 1994 and the current Barcelona outfit.

Everytime a successful Manchester United side comes along; comparisons are invariably made with the historic side of the 1950s famously called the 'Busby Babes'. The Red Devils were led by their legendary manager Sir Matt Busby, who lead a hugely gifted squad of young players. Their lack of experience was never a drawback as they unleashed their cavalier style of attacking football. They were set to dominate English, and maybe even European football, for many years to come, but fate struck a cruel blow as their careers ended before they even reached their peak. The Munich disaster killed eight Manchester United team members and injured many more. The poignancy of Sir Matt rising like the phoenix from the jaws of death along with the will of survivors Bobby Charlton, Billy Foulkes and Harry Greg laid the foundations for modern Manchester United.

Sir Matt built an extensive scouting system to foster the development of youth at the club as he chose to breed new players instead of making expensive purchases. Most of the players in that golden age were brought to the club under the age of 20, and developed together to form arguably United's most talented side ever.