Pierluigi Collina

Pierluigi Collina was a famous soccer referee.

He was born in Italy. He used to play soccer too. He took a class to learn how to referee. He was very good at it.

He was named the best referee in the world six times. He even worked the World Cup final. He said one big game sounded like a lion's roar.

People knew his face all over the world. He is still helping with soccer today.

Pierluigi Collina is a famous soccer referee from Italy.

He was born in Bologna. He studied economics at a university there. In 1977, he took a course to learn refereeing. He showed a great talent for the job. He rose through the ranks very fast. Soon, he was working in the top leagues.

Collina was named the best referee in the world six times. He worked many big games. He refereed the 1999 UEFA Champions League final. He said the crowd sounded like a "lions' roar."

In 2002, he reached the top of his career. He refereed the World Cup final between Brazil and Germany.

Many people know his face. He had a condition called alopecia. This caused him to lose all his hair. He became very popular in places like Japan and Turkey. He even appeared on the cover of video games. He still helps the world of soccer today. He works as a consultant for referees.

Pierluigi Collina is a famous football referee from Italy. He is known for being very good at his job. The International Federation of Football History & Statistics named him the best referee in the world six times. This happened every year from 1998 to 2003. People all over the world recognize his face. He even appeared on the cover of video games like Pro Evolution Soccer 3.

He is a very important figure in the history of the sport.

Collina's journey into refereeing was quite interesting. He was born in Bologna and studied economics at the University of Bologna. As a teenager, he played as a centre-back for a local team. In 1977, he took a course to learn how to referee. People soon saw he had a special talent for it. He moved up the ranks very quickly. By 1988, he was officiating in the national third division, known as Serie C1 and Serie C2.

He soon moved up to the top leagues, Serie B and Serie A.

During his career, Collina had a very distinct look. He developed a condition called alopecia. This caused him to lose all of his facial hair. Because of this, people gave him the nickname Kojak. He worked many of the biggest matches in football history. In 1996, he worked the Olympic Games final between Nigeria and Argentina. In 1999, he refereed the UEFA Champions League final. He remembered the cheers at the end of that game as a "lions' roar."

The year 2002 was the biggest moment of his career. He was chosen to referee the World Cup final between Brazil and Germany. This is the highest level a referee can reach. Before the game, a player named Oliver Kahn called him a world-class referee. Germany lost that game 2–0 to Brazil. Collina also refereed the 2004 UEFA Cup Final between Valencia and Marseille. His last big international match was a game between Portugal and Slovakia in 2006.

Even after he stopped refereeing matches, Collina stayed busy. He worked as a consultant for the Italian Referees Association. He also became the Head of Referees for the Football Federation of Ukraine in 2010. He helped look at the video assistant referee system for the 2018 World Cup. He thought the new system worked well. In his personal life, he lives in Forte dei Marmi with his wife and two daughters. He even wrote a book about his life called My Rules of the Game.

Pierluigi Collina is a celebrated Italian former football referee. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest officials in the history of the sport. The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) recognized his excellence by naming him "The World's Best Referee" for six consecutive years. This period of dominance spanned from 1998 to 2003. His reputation for fairness and skill made him a global icon within the football community.

Collina's path to the top of the football world was unique. He was born in Bologna and earned a degree in economics in 1984. During his youth, he played as a centre-back for a local team. In 1977, he decided to take a course to learn refereeing. Instructors quickly discovered he possessed a particular aptitude for the role. Within three years, he was officiating high-level regional matches. By 1988, he moved into the national third division, known as Serie C1 and Serie C2. This rapid progression allowed him to eventually reach Serie B and the top-flight Serie A.

A distinctive physical trait defined Collina's appearance during his career. He developed a severe form of alopecia, which is a condition causing hair loss. This resulted in the permanent loss of all his facial hair. Because of this bald appearance, he earned the nickname "Kojak." This look became instantly recognizable to millions of football fans worldwide.

Collina officiated many of the most significant matches in international football. In 1995, after 43 Serie A matches, he joined the FIFA Referees List. He oversaw five matches at the 1996 Olympic Games, including the final between Nigeria and Argentina. In 1999, he refereed the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. He described the massive cheers at the end of that match as a "lions' roar." The pinnacle of his career arrived in June 2002. He was chosen to officiate the FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany.

His career reached a complex conclusion due to professional disputes. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) raised the mandatory retirement age to 46 to keep him working. However, a conflict emerged in August 2005 regarding a sponsorship deal with Opel. Because Opel also sponsored the club A.C. Milan, officials saw this as a conflict of interest. This prevented him from refereeing top-flight matches in Italy. Consequently, Collina resigned from the league. He also faced criticism from Juventus executive Luciano Moggi during the 2006 Italian football scandal. Moggi had attempted to punish referees who were too "objective."

Even after leaving the professional leagues, Collina remained an influential figure. He served as the Head of Referees for the Football Federation of Ukraine starting in 2010. He also worked as an unpaid consultant for the Italian Referees Association (AIA). During the 2018 World Cup, he helped evaluate the video assistant referee (VAR) system. He noted that the system was effective in its application. His expertise continued to shape how technology is used to assist officials in modern matches.

Collina's influence extended far beyond the football pitch into popular culture. He became a famous figure in Japan and appeared in advertisements for frozen takoyaki. In Serbia, his voice in an MB Pivo beer commercial became quite famous. He was even chosen as the cover star for the video games Pro Evolution Soccer 3 and Pro Evolution Soccer 4. This was a rare honor, as game covers usually only feature players or managers. His life and career are documented in his 2003 autobiography, "My Rules of the Game."