The Choque-Rei (English: Clash of Kings) is the name given to Palmeiras and São Paulo football rivalry matches. It is contested between two very big, classic football clubs of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The derby dates back to 1930. The tension between both clubs and fanbases is extremely fierce, and it is considered one of the biggest derbies in Brazilian football.
Palmeiras has the edge in head-to-head statistics, with 123 wins against 116 from São Paulo and other 116 draws, making for a balanced encounter. In Campeonato Brasileiro Série A matches, Palmeiras has a larger advantage with 31 wins, while São Paulo won 17, and other 33 matches ended in a draw. São Paulo, however, has a notable supremacy in knockout encounters, having won 17 of 24 series between the two.
The two teams have their training centers separated by only a wall, which is nicknamed by many as the "Berlin Wall".
The first meeting between São Paulo and Palmeiras (at the time called Palestra Itália) began in the 1930 Campeonato Paulista, with a 2âÂÂ2 draw. The rivalry blossomed in the 1940s, because between 1942 and 1950, São Paulo and Palmeiras were state protagonists. São Paulo won five Campeonato Paulista titles (1943, 1945, 1946, 1948 and 1949), while Palmeiras won four (1942, 1944, 1947 and 1950). At that time, the rivalry between the two teams was responsible for bringing crowds to the stadiums. The magnitude of the duel caused journalist Thomaz Mazzoni, from the newspaper A Gazeta Esportiva, to highlight the rivalry as "Choque-Rei" (Clash of Kings).
Source:
Total goals in all competitions:
Total goals in Campeonato Brasileiro:
Palmeiras largest wins:
São Paulo largest win:
<small> Note: Although the Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup are officially different tournaments, in Brazil they are treated many times as the same tournament. </small>