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World's Most Popular Referee

Buh whuh? popular referee?

That's right. Pierluigi Collina, the bald-pated Italian soccer referee has his own international following.

I began watching Collina at about the same time I started watching soccer, starting with the Italian Serie A matches in the early '90's. Even then even I could tell that this was a quality referee. In the Italian league with all their whinging and diving and cheap-shot play, Collina stood out as a referee who not only made the correct calls, but managed the players with a rare blend of firmness and amicability.

In 1995 he began refereeing international matches, including the 1998 and 2002 World Cup. He achieved perhaps his highest honor when he was chosen to referee the Germany-Brazil World Cup Final in 2002. Unfortunately, as an Italian, there were many high profile matches he was barred from refereeing because of the Italian national team's success. In order to avoid favoritism, FIFA prevents referees from participating in tournament play where their home country is involved.

Euro 2004 is the last international tournament Collina will participate in as he will reach the mandatory international retirement age of 45 next year. The soccer world will not be the same without him.