IFFHS declare Pierluigi Collina the best referee of past 25 years
Pierluigi Collina – arguably the only referee to have won praise from Jose Mourinho – has been declared the Institute of Football History and Statistics’ (IFFHS) best referee of the last quarter of a century. In a recent list compiled by the IFFHS, Collina
came out on top, German referee Markus Merk finished second while Milton Nelson finished third.
The list was compiled on the basis of points awarded each year to the referees for the period between 1987 and 2011. Adding up all the points, the first 24 years have revealed that the legendary official heads this special list and may not be replaced anytime
soon. Collina topped the chart with 191 points. Markus Merk received 184 points while Denmark’s Milton Nelson rounded of the top three with 159 points.
The Bologna native started officiating football matches in 1988 and within three years, he had impressed the management enough for them to grant him a Serie A berth. By 1995, Collina was officiating international games. His uncompromising behaviour and telescopic
vision won him many admirers both on and off the pitch. The referee has the honour of officiating three of the biggest finals in the modern football; World Cup final, UEFA Champions League final and the Europa league final (formerly known as the UEFA cup).
When the 2006 Calciopoli scandal took over the Italian Serie A, Collina was one of the few referees to have escaped with their dignity intact – a testament of Collina’s years of loyal and professional service.
Pierluigi Collina will go down as one of the most respected football officials in the history of the game. Collina has won IFFHS' World's Best Referee of the Year award for a record six consecutive years from 1998 to 2003. Collina might be the most famous
referee in the history of the sport, as he made it to the cover of popular football game, Pro Evolution Soccer. The cover space is often reserved for football superstars – http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 have made the cut in recent years - but
Collina’s profile was certainly big enough to match the illustrious players.
Fun Fact: Early into his refereeing career, the legend contracted a severe form of alopecia which resulted in complete loss of facial hair. The distinctive look Collina received as a result earned him the nickname, Kojak – a fictional American
television character with similar looks.
Tags: