Clásico Regiomontano, Clásico Regio, Clásico del Norte or Clásico Norteño is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
in
Nuevo Leon, Mexico Nuevo is the Spanish word for "new". It may refer to:
* Nuevo, California, a town in the state of California
* Nuevo (band), featuring singer and musician Peter Godwin
* Nuevo (Bayamón), a settlement in Puerto Rico
* "Nuevo", Spanish-language ver ...
, between crosstown
rival
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
teams
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
and
Tigres. Since the first Clásico in 1974, the two teams have competed over 100 times for bragging rights and city honour.
It is known for being one of the most intensely competed derbies in Mexican football, even being regarded by people in the city of
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
and Northern Mexico as the most important Mexican derby. The match is the biggest game of the season in Monterrey, and every year, fans wait in line for days outside the stadium just to get tickets, which are often priced at two or three times their regular value.
The game involves two neighbouring cities,
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
and
San Nicolás de los Garza, whereas the
Clásico Nacional involves two teams from cities in different states,
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
and
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
. Despite this, the Clásico Regiomontano has generated more monetary income in sales, publicity, etc. in recent years, possibly due to Monterrey’s success in the CONCACAF Champions League and Tigres’ success in Liga MX in the last decade. As of August 2018,
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
and
Tigres have the most expensive squads in the
Liga MX
The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year.
The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...
.
Record
MP = Matches Played; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Dif = Goal Difference
* ''Clásico 28 was suspended without result''
Historical results
Notable Clásicos
* Clásico 1.
The first Clásico Regiomontano. 13 July, 1974 saw the first game Tigres played in the
First Division with Monterrey, and resulted in a tie. Result: Tigres 3–3 Rayados.
* Clásico 2. The first victory went to Monterrey, with a score of 2–1. Nilo Acuna scored at the 44th and Alfredo Jimenez at the 89th minute. Tigres’ rather late goal was made by Alberto Rodriguez at the 92nd minute.
* Clásico 12 and 13.
The first Clásico in the playoffs. With the first leg on 6 June, and the second leg on 16 June 1979, Tigres and Rayados met in the playoffs for the first time, although this was not a direct elimination instance. In the 1978–79 season, league playoffs were played in an elimination "group-stage" format, in which, after league elimination, two groups of four teams were formed and the leader of each group advanced to the final. Tigres and Rayados were in Group 2, along with
Pumas and Zacatepec. Both games were played in the Estadio Universitario. Tigres won Clásico 12 with a goal by Mantegazza at the 18th minute. Clásico 13 ended with a draw by 1–1, in which Rayados' Raúl Isiordia scored first, at the 8th minute, only to be tied at the 40th by
Gerónimo Barbadillo
Gerónimo Barbadillo González (born September 29, 1954) is a retired Peruvian footballer.
A right winger, he spent his best seasons with Tigres UANL of the Liga MX and was known for his speed, dribbling and goal-scoring ability. He also played ...
. With these results, Tigres managed to tie for first place with Pumas on the group leaderboard, but were not able to qualify to the final due to goal difference.
* Clasico 23. Rayados wins after six years. On 17 September 1983, Rayados defeated Tigres at their stadium after six years without winning, since 5 February 1977. Tigres held at the time what was the longest undefeated streak in these Clásicos.
* Clásico 51. What is known as the “Relegation Clásico”. Tigres had three poor seasons, being one of the worst teams in Mexico. It was a done deal that Tigres would be relegated to
Primera División A
Primera may refer to
* Nissan Primera, a car
* Primera Air, a former airline
* Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues
* Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas
* Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...
, but to confirm it, they only needed to lose one more game. The last game in which Tigres saw that remote possibility to stay in the First Division was at Clásico 51 on 24 March 1996, in which, with goals by
Sergio "El Pibe" Verdirame and
Luis Miguel Salvador, Monterrey won with a score of 2–1, sealing Tigres’ fate of competing in Primera A the following season.
*Clasico 61. Run over Rayados with six goals. On 26 February 2000, Tigres visited Rayados at their stadium. Tigres outplayed Monterrey and scored six goals. Rayados claimed that there was an irregularity with the signature on the contract of
Osmar Donizete. The game was eventually annulled.
* Clásico 71 . The "4 a 1". On 4 June 2003, was the first time that Tigres and Rayados met in the playoff semifinals. There was a sense that whoever won this semifinal would have been the favourite for the championship. Tigres started the first game well, scoring very early 1–0, but 4 unanswered goals by Rayados turned the tide in the game and in the Semifinals.
* Clásico 75 . Six goals again. Tigres visited Rayados and humiliated them in their own stadium with a score of 6–2. Tigres scored 6 goals in a derby for the second time.
* Clásico 79. Another semifinal encounter. Tigres was victorious in the first game (Clásico 78) 1–0 in the Estadio Universitario. For the second game, Rayados won 2–1, Defender Claudio Suárez saw the red card in a play that gave Rayados a penalty and the goal lead. Rayados defeated Tigres with a goal by Guillermo "El Guille" Franco as the game neared the 90 minute mark. This was the 2nd time in which Rayados advanced to the championship final games at the expense of Tigres.
*Clásico 80. It was the first time that a Clásico Regio was played outside the country. In the finals of the Interliga 2006, held at the
Home Depot Center
Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...
in
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...
, Tigres defeated Monterrey by 2–1.
* Clásico 99. Rayados defeats Tigres for the third time in direct-elimination playoffs. Tigres finished the regular season as the leader with 35 points and only 2 defeats in the regular season. One of their two defeats was against Monterrey at Clasico 97. Initially, Monterrey did not qualify for the playoffs, ending the regular season in the ninth place.
Queretaro F.C. finished in eight place and was meant to be the playoff opponent of Tigres, but was relegated to
Ascenso MX
Ascenso MX was the second tier of professional football in Mexico of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition was promoted to Liga MX (top-flight tier). The bottom team was relegated to Liga Premier (the third tier). ...
because the team had accumulated the lowest point coefficient in the last 2 years. The situation with Queretaro was able to get Monterrey off the hook as they were the next eligible team to travel to the playoffs. At Clasico 98, the away leg of the playoffs, Monterrey defeated Tigres 1–0 at the Estadio Tecnologico, in a close game that Tigres controlled most of the time. In the second leg, Tigres needed to win by 1–0, or by a difference of two goals because of the
away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaker, tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the ...
(which means they needed to finish the game 3–1, 4–2, 5–3 in their favour to advance). Tigres came out aggressive and
Danilinho scored a goal early on in the game. Minutes later, with a game totally handled by Tigres,
Israel Jimenez scored an
own goal
An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
that tied the game 1–1, for an aggregate of 2–1 that would send Tigres packing.
*Clásico 100. The 100th edition of the Clásico Regiomontano. Tigres painfully lost the Clásico 99 by way of an own goal of
Israel Jimenez and was eliminated from the playoffs by Monterrey. Because of these woes, Tigres was eager for a chance to redeem themselves. Both teams started aggressive but Tigres had the first chance and a young
Alan Pulido
Alan Pulido Izaguirre (born 8 March 1991) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City.
Pulido started his career with Tigres UANL in 2010. Contractual disputes with Tigres UAN ...
scored a header which would set the score to 1–0 after a long pass by
Jesús Dueñas
Jesús Alberto Dueñas Manzo (born 16 March 1989), also known as Pollo, is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder.
Club career
Jesus Dueñas was from Petroleros de Salamanca but later moved to Tigres UANL, the te ...
. After a mistake by
Hugo Ayala
Hugo Ayala Castro (born 31 March 1987) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Club career Atlas
Hugo Ayala started his professional career with Atlas. He made his official debut in 2006 as a starter against C ...
,
Humberto Suazo
Humberto Andrés Suazo Pontivo (; born 10 May 1981), nicknamed ''Chupete'' (in English, ''Lollipop''), is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a striker for Deportes La Serena. In 2006, he was awarded the IFFHS World's Top Goal Sc ...
tied the game 1–1. Pulido scored again to make it 2–1 for Tigres. In the second half, Tigres controlled the game and captain
Lucas Lobos
Lucas Armando Lobos (born August 3, 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is a Mexican naturalized citizen.
Lobos is a two-time winner of the Liga MX Balón de Oro for Best Player and f ...
scored the final 3–1, effectively getting their redemption after losing in the playoffs.
*Clásico 101. Quarterfinals at the Copa MX. After a 0–2 lead for Tigres at the end of the first half,
César Delgado
César Fabián Delgado Godoy (born 18 August 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a winger. He also played as a central midfielder, making piercing forward runs through the center of the opposition's defence. His ...
entered as a substitute and turned things around for Monterrey by making it 1–2 and assisting the goal that levelled the score on the 93rd minute—a dramatic header from
Luis Madrigal
Luis Guillermo Madrigal Gutiérrez (born 10 February 1993) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a forward for Primera División club FAS.
Club career Monterrey
He made his senior team debut on October 7, 2011, as a substitute in ...
. This forced penalty kicks without extra time, as per Copa MX rules. Rayados scored 4 out of 4 penalty kicks. Tigres' first shot was held by Rayados' goalkeeper
Juan de Dios Ibarra, and
Manuel Viniegra
Manuel Viniegra García (born 26 April 1988) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
Club career
Viniegra started his career with Liga MX club Tigres UANL. He made his professional debut during the 2007 Clausura tourname ...
hit the crossbar on their last shot for a final score of 4–2 for Monterrey.
* Clásico 115 2017 saw the first ever Clasico Regiomontano in the finals of the Liga MX. Tigres and Rayados would tie 1–1 in Tigres home stadium thanks to an early goal by Nicolás Sánchez and a
Panenka from Enner Valencia. In the second leg, Rayados played against Tigres in their home stadium, the
Estadio BBVA
The Estadio BBVA, nicknamed "El Gigante de Acero" (Spanish for "The Steel Giant"), formerly known as the Estadio BBVA Bancomer, is a stadium developed by FEMSA and C.F. Monterrey in Guadalupe, Nuevo León, Guadalupe, Monterrey Metropolitan area, Gr ...
having never been beaten at home since Tigres beat them 2–0 in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Clasura playoffs. An early goal by Dorlan Pabon would be irrelevant as Tigres would score twice thanks to goals by Eduardo Vargas and Francisco Meza. The game would end 1–2 with Tigres winning 3–2 aggregate and winning their sixth Liga MX championship as well as bragging rights in the first ever Clasico Regiomontano finals.
* Clásico 119 & 120 The Clasico Regiomontano goes global. This was the first Clasico Regiomontano played in an international tournament,
at the finals of the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. The final was contested in two-legged home-and-away format. The first leg was hosted by Tigres UANL at the Estadio Universitario in San Nicolás de los Garza on 23 April 2019, while the second leg was hosted by Rayados de Monterrey at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer in Guadalupe on 1 May 2019. Monterrey won the finals 2–1 on aggregate for their fourth
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
title and prevented Tigres from winning the CONCACAF Champions League for the third time after losing the 2015-16 and 2016-17 editions to America and Pachuca respectively. Tigres would finally go on to win the CONCACAF Champions League in 2020, whilst Monterrey is still credited as the first winner of the derby in the finals of that competition.
Notable players
Most appearances
*27,
Jesús Arellano
José de Jesús Arellano Alcocer (born 8 May 1973) is a Mexican former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger and a wanted fugitive. He last played for C.F. Monterrey, Monterrey in the Liga MX, Pr ...
, Rayados player with the most Clásicos played and the best regiomontano in history.
*26,
"El Jefe" Tomás Boy, Tigres player with the most Clásicos played.
["Será un jugador Clásico"](_blank)
(In Spanish; Requires Subscription), '' El Norte''
*16,
Francisco Javier "El Abuelo" Cruz, one of the few players to be successful with both Tigres and Rayados.
Most goals
*11,
Mario de Souza Mota "Bahía", leading goalscorer for Monterrey and the whole derby.
*10,
André-Pierre Gignac
André-Pierre Christian Gignac (born 5 December 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Liga MX club Tigres UANL. Gignac is described as a "powerful and dangerous" striker who is known for his "aerial presence". He ...
, leading goalscorer for Tigres in the derby.
*8,
Walter Gaitán, “El Chueco”["Pega duro el Tigre"](_blank)
(In Spanish; Requires Subscription), '' El Norte'', "El argentino (Gaitán) liquidó a los Rayados, al anotar su octavo gol en el Clásico Regio, para empatar al chileno Claudio "El Diablo" Núñez como mejor anotador felino en la historia del duelo."
*8,
Claudio "El Diablo" Nuñez
Other famous players
*
Luis "El Matador" Hernandez, the first player to have scored with both teams, first with Monterrey.
*
Sebastián "El Loco" Abreu, the first foreign player (born in
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
) to have scored with both teams, first with Rayados and most known in Rayados.
*
Gaston Fernandez, the second foreign player (born in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
) to have scored with both teams, first with Rayados.
*
Aldo de Nigris
Jesus Aldo de Nigris Guajardo (born 22 July 1983) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker, who is the current assistant manager of Liga MX club Monterrey.
Club career
He started his career at the youth divisions ...
, the first player to have scored first with Tigres in a derby and then with Rayados. He is also the first player that was born in the city of Monterrey to score for both teams.
*
Luis Rodríguez, the first player ever to become champion with both teams. ''Chaka'' first became champion of
Liga MX
The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year.
The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...
with Monterrey in 2010 with few games played. With Tigres has won
Liga MX
The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year.
The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...
in 2016 and 2017.
Notable managers
*
Carlos Miloc
Carlos Miloc Pelachi (February 9, 1932 – February 25, 2017) was a Uruguayan- Mexican football coach and former player who managed UANL Tigres, Club América, and the Guatemala national team, among other teams.
Playing career
Miloc played pro ...
, managed Tigres and never lost an official Clásico Regiomontano for a total of 13 undefeated games
*
Victor Manuel Vucetich
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
, managed both teams, having two stints with Tigres to varying degrees of success. With Tigres, he won the Copa Mexico in '96 but was relegated from the Liga MX that season. With Monterrey, he won the Liga MX twice and the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
thrice.
*
Ricardo Ferretti
Ricardo Ferretti de Oliveira (born 22 February 1954), also known as Tuca Ferretti, is a Brazilian-Mexican professional football manager and former player.
As a player, Ferretti was an attacking midfielder known for his mobility, powerful rig ...
, “El Tuca”, former player for Monterrey in the 86–87 season, and former manager of Tigres in three different periods: 2000–2003, 2006 and 2010–2021. His third tenureship has been his most successful winning five Liga MX titles (Apertura 2011, Apertura 2015, Apertura 2016, Apertura 2017 and Clausura 2019) and three campeón de campeones titles (2016, 2017, 2018)
*
Antonio Mohamed
Ricardo Antonio Mohamed Matijević (born 2 April 1970) is an Argentine football manager and former player.
Mohamed played as a striker, making his senior debut with Huracán in 1988 and being sold to Italian club Fiorentina in 1991. He ne ...
, “El Turco”, former player and manager for Monterrey, known for his large frame, spiked blond hair, and for winning a Liga MX and two Copa MX titles with Monterrey. It was under Mohamed that Monterrey got to play the first Clasico Regio as a
competition final against a Tigres team led by Ferretti.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clasico Regiomontano
Football rivalries in Mexico
Tigres UANL
C.F. Monterrey
1974 establishments in Mexico