"You have to be accepted on the field of play not because you are the referee, but because people trust you." Served as referee during the 2002 World Cup finals. He demanded, and in turn, earned respect from players, managers and fans around the world. Originally from Bologna, Italy, he was a basketball fan and a defender for his local team, but as a teenager he was persuaded to take a refereeing course. £1,000 Guaranteed Poker Tournament With A Chance To Win A PS5Football Manager Developers Drop Huge Hint That Franchise Is Coming To Xbox And PlayStationCristiano Ronaldo's Claim The Golden Shoe Is Better Than The Ballon d'Or Has Come Back To Haunt HimPhil Foden Isn't One Of The 50 Most Experienced Players Born In 2000Mike Ashley To Ed Woodward: 'Football's Most Unpopular Man Meets Football's Second Most Unpopular Man'Sergio Aguero Suffers Car Crash Ahead Of Manchester City Training "After 28 years I've decided to hand in my resignation," he announced in 2005. Towards the end of his career, the Bologna-born official was even chosen to become Pro Evolution Soccer's cover star on two separate occasions in the mid 00's alongside Thierry Henry and Francesco Totti. Retired from his job as a referee. Pierluigi Collina is an ex-referee and arguably the most recognizable football official in the world. [August 2005] Pierluigi Collina, Self: In the Know. ""I have slept less these last few nights than on the eve of the World Cup final. "If they don't, then we have to go. In a glittering 28 year career of refereeing, he took charge of Champions League, World Cup and UEFA Cup finals but for many, it was Collina's larger than life personality that earned him such a respected stature. Often cited as the best referee of his generation by players and fans alike, Pierluigi Collina was respected for his no-nonsense approach to officiating. In a time when world class players would exclusively appear on game covers, the ever-popular Collina would break that mould.He was now one of the most recognisable and respected faces in football.Pierluigi Collina on the cover of PES 3, because he was just that cool. If a player decided to misbehave, the Italian would take action but he was always fair. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale. Coincidentally, this happened around the same time that he began refereeing more high-profile matches in the Italian Serie A League (about 1988). In the end, we have all lost out. The instantly recognisable Pierluigi Collina, a no-nonsense Italian referee known for his famous bald head and piecing eyes, remains one of the most respected figures in football, 14 years after handing in his shock resignation from officiating, aged 45. He is instantly recognizable as he contracted a severe form of alopecia, resulting in the permanent loss of all his hair, giving him his distinctive bald appearance and earning the nickname Kojak. "People must believe in a referee. he said after retirement.
Often cited as the best referee of his generation by players and fans alike, Pierluigi Collina was respected for his no-nonsense approach to officiating. Famously, he was so popular he appeared as the cover star for the video games Pro Evolution Soccer 3 and Pro Evolution Soccer 4. After rising through the ranks of the Italian leagues, he became one of the most familiar and distinctive faces in world football and was widely considered the best referee of his time. "This means you can reach the best result a referee can reach, which is to be accepted even when he is wrong.
He was also involved in some of the biggest matches of the era, refereeing in the 1996 Olympic Games final, 1999 Champions League Final and the 2002 World Cup Final.
"This calm but stern approach to officiating earned him FIFA's "Best Referee of the Year" award six consecutive times between 1998 and 2003.