Pierluigi Collina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pierluigi Collina

Collina as head of referees for the Ukrainian Association of Football in 2010
Born	(1960-02-13) 13 February 1960 (age 65) Bologna, Italy
Other occupation	Financial advisor, UEFA Head of Referees
Domestic
Years	League	Role
1988–1991	Serie C2	Referee
1988–1991	Serie C1	Referee
1991–2005	Serie B	Referee
1991–2005	Serie A	Referee
1992–2006	Coppa Italia	Referee
International
Years	League	Role
1995–2005	FIFA listed	Referee

Pierluigi Collina (born February 13, 1960) is a famous former football referee from Italy. He was named "The World's Best Referee" six times in a row from 1998 to 2003. This award came from the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.

Even after retiring from refereeing, Collina stayed involved in football. He works as an advisor for the Italian Football Referees Association. He also leads the referees for the Football Federation of Ukraine. Collina is a member of the UEFA Referees Committee and leads the FIFA referees committee.

Collina's Refereeing Journey

Pierluigi Collina was born in Bologna, Italy. He studied economics at the University of Bologna and finished his degree in 1984. When he was a teenager, he played football as a defender. However, in 1977, he decided to take a referee's course. People quickly saw that he was very good at it.

Within three years, he was refereeing important regional matches. He also completed his required military service during this time. In 1988, he moved up quickly to the national third division, called Serie C1 and Serie C2. After three seasons, he was promoted to referee matches in Serie B and Serie A, which are Italy's top football leagues.

Around this time, Collina developed a condition called alopecia. This caused him to lose all his facial hair, making him bald. This distinctive look earned him the nickname Kojak.

Becoming a FIFA Referee

In 1995, after refereeing 43 Serie A matches, Collina was added to FIFA's Referees List. This meant he could referee international games. He was chosen for five matches at the 1996 Olympic Games. One of these was the final game between Nigeria and Argentina.

He also refereed the 1999 UEFA Champions League final. This was a big match between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. Collina said this was his most memorable game. He described the cheers at the end as a "lions' roar."

Refereeing the World Cup Final

In June 2002, Collina reached the highest point of his career. He was chosen to referee the 2002 FIFA World Cup final. This huge match was between Brazil and Germany.

Before the game, Germany's goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, spoke about Collina. Kahn said, "Collina is a world-class referee, there's no doubt about that, but he doesn't bring luck, does he?" Kahn was thinking about two other big matches Collina had refereed where Kahn's team lost. One was the 1999 Champions League final. The other was Germany's 5–1 defeat against England in 2001. Kahn's luck did not change in the World Cup final, and his team lost 2–0.

Retirement from International Games

Collina refereed the 2004 UEFA Cup Final between Valencia and Marseille. UEFA Euro 2004 was his last major international tournament. In February 2005, he reached the age when referees usually have to retire. His last international match was a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Portugal and Slovakia. This game was played in Lisbon.

The FIGC raised its retirement age for referees to 46. This was done so Collina could referee for one more season. However, a problem came up in August 2005. Collina signed a sponsorship deal with Opel, a car company. Opel also sponsored the Serie A club A.C. Milan. This was seen as a conflict of interest, meaning it could look unfair. Because of this, Collina was not allowed to referee top matches in Italy. He then resigned, ending his career. His final competitive game was a Champions League qualifier between Everton and Villarreal on August 24, 2005.

Collina's Work After Refereeing

Since 2010, Collina has been the head of referees for the Football Federation of Ukraine. Some national referees have criticized his work in this role. They say he does not spend enough time in Ukrainian football, visiting for only about two weeks a year.

Collina was also involved in bringing in the video assistant referee (VAR) system. This system was used for the 2018 World Cup. During the tournament, he spoke about how well VAR worked. He later said positive things about how it was used.

Personal Life

In 1988, Pierluigi Collina met his wife, Gianna. They moved to the coastal town of Viareggio in Italy. The couple has two daughters. In 2003, Collina wrote his autobiography, called My Rules of the Game. After he retired in 2005, he focused on his own business as a financial advisor. Today, he lives in Forte dei Marmi.

After refereeing a match between Japan and Turkey at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Collina became very famous in Japan. He even appeared in a TV advert for frozen takoyaki (a Japanese snack). He is also very popular in Turkey. No Turkish team, either national or club, ever lost a game when he was the referee.

Even though Collina is known for football, his favorite sports team plays basketball. He has always supported his local club, Fortitudo Bologna. On January 25, 2010, Collina played in a special charity match. This game supported victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He played with a team called "Friends of Zidane and Ronaldo" against Benfica in Lisbon.

Awards and Achievements

• IFFHS World's Best Referee: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
• IFFHS All Time World's Best Referee 1987–2020
• Honorary degree: Doctor of Science (2004), given by Hull University for his contribution to sports.
• Serie A Referee of the Year: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
• Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2011

Major Matches Collina Refereed

Images for kids

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  Collina's referee kit worn at the 2002 FIFA World Cup final

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  Collina during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Final between Japan and Qatar

See also

In Spanish: Pierluigi Collina para niños