This article will tell you about the career of arguably the greatest referee ever Pierluigi Collina
Pierluigi Collina is widely regarded as one of the greatest football referees of all time. He is currently the chairman of FIFA Referees Committee.
Pierluigi was born on February 13, 1960, in Bologna, Italy. He began his career as a football referee in 1977 at the age of 17. Collina went on to officiate matches in the Italian Serie C2 league, the third tier of Italian football, before being promoted to the Serie B in 1988.
Collina made his Serie A debut on September 17, 1988, in a match between A.C. Milan and Como. He was only 28 years old at the time, making him the youngest referee ever to officiate a Serie A match. Collina quickly established himself as one of the top referees in Italy, earning a reputation for being strict but fair.
In 1995, Collina was appointed as a FIFA referee. He quickly became one of the most respected referees in international football.
He officiated his first major tournament in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. There he was the referee for the gold medal match between Nigeria and Argentina.
Growth
Collina’s reputation continued to grow. He was chosen to referee the final of the 1999 UEFA Champions League between Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
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The match was one of the most dramatic in the history of the competition. In the end, Manchester United scored two goals in injury time to win the trophy.
Collina’s career reached its pinnacle in 2002 when he was selected to referee the final of the FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
The match, between Germany and Brazil, was watched by an estimated 1 billion people around the world. Collina’s performance was widely praised, and he was hailed as the best referee in the world.
Collina continued to referee at the highest level for several more years, but he retired in 2005 at the age of 45. In total, he officiated over 150 international matches, including three European Championship finals and the final of the 2002 World Cup.
Collina was known for his calm demeanor on the pitch, his excellent communication skills, and his ability to make tough decisions in high-pressure situations.
Life After Retirement
After retiring from refereeing, Collina became a member of UEFA’s Referees Committee. He worked as a television pundit and commentator for several Italian broadcasters. He also served as the head of the Italian Football Referees’ Association from 2010 to 2014.
Collina’s achievements as a referee were recognized in 2011 when he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. He remains one of the most respected figures in world football, and his legacy as a great referee will live on for many years to come.
