Pierluigi Collina, born on February 13, 1960, in Bologna, Italy, is widely regarded as one of football's greatest referees. He earned a degree in economics from the University of Bologna in 1984. His refereeing career began in 1977 when a classmate persuaded him to take a refereeing course, where he discovered his aptitude for officiating. By 1988, he was officiating in Serie C1 and Serie C2, and three years later, he advanced to Serie B and Serie A matches.
In 1995, after officiating 43 Serie A matches, Collina was placed on FIFA's Referees List. He officiated at the 1996 Olympic Games final between Nigeria and Argentina. He also refereed the 1999 UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Manchester United, with the incredible comeback of the “Red Devils” during stoppage time. In June 2002, he reached the pinnacle of his career when he was chosen to officiate the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany.
He was named "The World's Best Referee" by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics six consecutive times from 1998 to 2003, and in 2020 he was voted the best referee in the history by France Football.
After retiring from active refereeing in 2005, Collina transitioned into leadership roles, including Chairman of the Serie A referees and Chief Refereeing Officer at UEFA. He currently serves as the Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, overseeing refereeing standards worldwide.
Collina's career is celebrated for his calm authority, fair play, and significant contributions to football refereeing, making him a respected figure in the sport's history.
