The best referee ever? Why I love Pierluigi Collina
Long before the days of Mike Dean memes, another follicly challenged match official was busy revolutionising refereeing for the better. No, Manchester United fans, this isn’t an ode to Old Trafford penalty specialist Howard Webb, but rather a tribute to the world’s first celebrity referee: Pierluigi Collina.
A distinctive 6ft 2in presence, known for his bald head and piercing stare, Collina had the look of happy hardcore raver from one of those 90s nightclub promo videos on YouTube – but he was no joke. Few are naturals to the rigours of elite level officiating, but Collina defied convention with a combination of brains and brawn.
The Italian’s match preparations were meticulous. Graham Poll once recalled Collina’s pre-game presentation to his fellow match officials before one fixture at the World Cup.
"He drew their line-ups on a board," Poll said, "told us how they would play, who the fiery characters were, where the likely flashpoints would be, what each assistant might expect to happen on his part of the pitch.
"He covered everything. It was incredible… And, furthermore,
Pierluigi Collina: The Referee Who Gave Respect And Got Respect
If you were to ask someone what they thought to be the hardest job in football, you could get back several different answers. Some might say that nothing is tougher than being the manager calling the shots and being first in the firing line when results plummet. Others may suggest that being the benefactor of a club is as high-stakes as it gets, with owners pumping millions into a club and running the risk of getting nothing except abuse out of it. Managers and chairmen can be vilified, and there are no shortage of case studies to this effect, but they are just as likely to be worshipped if they leave a lasting effect on a club. Referees, on the other hand, tend only to be talked about when they make controversial decisions. If an official was to make the correct call every time in a match, nobody would mention them in conversation afterwards. One man who bucked the trend was Pierluigi Collina.
The Italian official is instantly recognisable with his completely bald head and almost vein-bursting eyes, a combination which made him look incredibly fearsome when laying down the law to misbehaving players. It wasn’t ju
Let’s admit it. It takes a special kind of mentality like Pierluigi Collina to referee football at the highest level. Enforcing the soccer laws of the game and managing players’ tempers while keeping up with play for 90 nonstop minutes is an unenviable task.
On the sidelines, soccer referees deal with harassment from rabid supporters and 24/7 media criticism, aware that any excellent refereeing performance will likely go unacknowledged.
This reality has been the norm for all referees in the game but one. However, nobody has been able to stand out and ascend to the mainstream culture of football quite like Pierluigi Collina, who was recognized by FIFA as the football referee of the year six times.
Prodigy
Born in Bologna, Italy, Collina had dreams of making it as a professional footballer when playing for his local team while growing up. By the time he was 17, he had realized that those dreams were far-fetched and, taking a friend’s advice, attended a refereeing course instead.
Pierluigi Collina untapped a particular talent for the craft, and it became clear that he was born to officiate. With his tall, imposing appearance and authoritative nature, Collina was the ref
Il curriculum di PIERLUIGI COLLINA
PIERLUIGI COLLINA
Nuovo designatore Can A-B
Pierluigi Collina è nato a Bologna il 13 febbraio Sposato con Giovanna Bertolini, ha due figlie: Francesca Romana di 16 anni e Carolina di
Laureato in Economia e Commercio all’Università di Bologna con e lode. è stato arbitro effettivo dal al Nel corso della carriera arbitrale ha diretto: gare in serie A (debutto il in Verona v Ascoli); 79 in serie B; 42 in Coppa Itali (Finale , , e ); 2 in Supercoppa Italiana ( e ); Internazionali (debutto il in Turchia v Francia).
Competizioni alle quali ha partecipato:
Olimpiadi Atlanta , Coppa del Mondo Francia , Europei Euro , Coppa del Mondo Korea-Japan , Europei Euro
Finali dirette:
Olimpiadi Atlanta (Argentina v Nigeria), Champions League (Bayern Monaco v Manchester United), Mondiali Korea-Japan (Germania v Brasile), Coppa Uefa (Olympique de Marseille v Valencia).
Riconoscimenti e premi:
Premio Bernardi come miglior debuttante in Serie A; Premio Mauro come miglior arbitro internazionale; Premio Dattilo come miglior arbitro nazionale; Miglior arbitro italiano per la Associazione Italiana Calciatori , , , , , e ; Miglior arbitro del m
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