Pierluigi Collina

Authoritative without being authoritarian, precise in even the finest detail and yet humble enough to admit his own mistakes. All this and much more has enabled Pierluigi Collina to repeatedly win the coveted title of "World's Best Referee". Such unanimous and rare acknowledgement is the just reward for a long and intense career with the greatest dedication for the most difficult job on the football field: the referee.
Born in Bologna in 1960, Pierluigi Collina began working as a referee at the advice of a friend in 1977. A few years later, he reached the highest regional levels while continuing his studies with success at the same time, graduating from the University of Bologna in Business Economics with the highest honours in 1984. He began travelling the length and width of Italy as a referee at higher and higher levels of competition the same year.
Collina rose through the ranks rapidly. After another 3 years of superb performance in Series C play, he was ready for the most important calling: the first training meeting for Series A and B referees in 1991. In the meantime, he moved to Viareggio on the Tyrrhenian Coast where he settled down with his wife Gianna and practised his business consultant profession brilliantly. His career as a referee continued with escalating success.
During his first year in Series A, Collina worked as the referee in eight matches - a record still unbroken today. In 1995 he was qualified to referee international play, after only 43 directed in the Serie A. In 1996, he was appointed to referee the final championship match between Nigeria and Argentina in the Olympic Games. In 1999, he blew the whistle to kick off the final Champions League match between Manchester United and Bayern Monaco. Designated for both the 1998 France World Cup and the 2000 European Cup, he was also given the honour of directing the final match in the 2002 World Cup played in Japan and Korea.
The countless awards he has received over his incomparable career include five consecutive "World's Best Referee" titles awarded by the International Football History and Statistics Federation in 1998, 1999, and 2000, 2001 and 2002 in addition to being elected the best referee in Italy by the Player's Association as many as five times in testimony of the excellent relationship he has established with the athletes over the years.
The President of Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi conferred on him the title of "Commendatoredell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica" for sports merits. The University of Hull (UK) conferred on him the honorary degree in Science.