Pierluigi Collina: The Iconic Referee's Journey and Legacy

What is Pierluigi Collina doing today? The Italian referee has probably become the most famous whistle in the history of football. Recognizable for his baldness and stern tone, with an excellent sense of judgment, he managed to achieve satisfaction in his career. The former referee was interviewed by Gianluca Gazzoli on his podcast Passa dal BSMT, an episode exceptionally recorded live. The Radio Deejay speaker was in fact a guest of the Gazzetta dello Sport at the Festival dello Sport in Trento. Pierluigi Collina, who is he? Pierluigi Collina was born on February 13, 1960 (he is 64 years old) in Bologna. He is universally recognized as one of the best referees in football history, known for his great charisma and ability to command respect from players. He is the only child of a state employee and an elementary school teacher. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce at the University of Bologna, where he graduated in 1984 with honors. He began losing his hair at the age of 24, suffering from alopecia, until he became completely bald. Initially, it was feared that this characteristic could have psychological repercussions or make him lose authority, risking truncating his career. Instead, it served to make him even more iconic. He has lived in Viareggio since 1991, where alongside his life as a referee, he carried on the profession of financial consultant. He has a wife and two daughters. He supports Lazio, as he recounted in 2005 during a lesson at the degree course in Motor Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Parma: "As a child, I supported Bologna, the team of the city where I was born. Then I was fascinated by another eagle, apart from the Fortitudo in basketball: Lazio. At 14, I played as a libero and liked Pino Wilson." The career From 1998 to 2003, he was named the best referee in the world by the IFFHS without interruption, and since 2011 he has been a member of the Italian football Hall of Fame. Among the most important matches he refereed are the 2002 World Cup final (Brazil-Germany 2-0), the 1998-1999 UEFA Champions League final (Manchester United-Bayern Munich), and the 2003-2004 UEFA Cup final (Valencia-Olympique Marseille 2-0). After leaving the field, he was the referee designator for Serie A and B from 2007 to 2010 and president of the UEFA Referees Committee from 2010 to 2018. He was part of the refereeing team for the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 and 2004 European Championships. In the Champions League, he officiated three semifinals: Leeds United-Valencia in 2001, Real Madrid-Barcelona in 2002, and Deportivo La Coruna-Porto in 2004. On January 10, 2003, he was the first non-French referee to officiate a Ligue 1 match (Olympique Lyon-Olympique Marseille). On June 9, 2005, he refereed Ciro Ferrara's farewell match at the San Paolo stadium in Naples. Pierluigi Collina's last match as a referee in Italy was Pavia-Bari for the 2005-2006 Coppa Italia. It was August 21, 2005, and the Pugliesi won on penalties. He ended his international career with Villareal-Everton, the return leg of the 2005-2006 Champions League preliminaries. He was an active referee from 1977 to 2005, internationally from 1995. During his refereeing career, he officiated: 240 Serie A matches (debut on December 15, 1991, in Verona-Ascoli); 79 in Serie B; 42 in Coppa Italia (Finals 1995, 2002, 2004, and 2005); 2 in the Italian Super Cup (2003 and 2004); 109 international (debut on March 8, 1995, in Turkey-France). Among the Italian championship classics, he boasts the direction of 5 Milan Derbies, 5 Inter-Roma, 5 Milan-Roma, 4 Juventus-Inter, 4 Milan-Juventus, 4 Juventus-Roma, 2 Rome Derbies, 1 Turin Derby, 1 Genoa Derby and two relegation playoffs from Serie A (Atalanta-Reggina in 2003 and Bologna-Parma in 2005). The controversies At the 2000 European Championships, Czech Republic supporters protested against the awarding of a controversial penalty to the Netherlands. In the next match, they wore paper masks with the features of the Italian referee. Just a few months earlier, he was the protagonist of that Perugia-Juventus match, under the Umbrian downpour that went down in Italian football history. Collina suspended the match at the end of the first half due to a violent storm that hit the stadium. After a 71-minute interruption, as the bad weather subsided, he resumed the match despite the field being evidently on the verge of unplayability. Calori scored the decisive goal, Grifo won the match, and Juventus lost the championship to Lazio. He was also the referee of Atalanta-Brescia 3-3, with the run of Brescia coach Carlo Mazzone under the opposing stand. Covers and recognitions In 2003, Pierluigi Collina published a book titled "My Rules of the Game. What Football Has Taught Me About Life," where he recounts his life as a referee with some anecdotes. He appeared on the covers of the football video games Pro Evolution Soccer 3, Pro Evolution Soccer 4 (alongside Thierry Henry and Francesco Totti), and Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (alongside Gianluigi Buffon), while in FIFA 2005, he is unlockable as a referee in national friendly matches. In 2003, he was also featured in the video of a song by Giorgia, La gatta (sul tetto). He has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns for important brands and social campaigns, among the most curious is one in Japan for a takoyaki (octopus balls) commercial and in the last episode of the anime Holly & Benji Forever, where he appears in one of the final sequences as the referee of Japan-Brazil. His caricature appeared in the video of the song Shoot the Dog by George Michael. Collina appeared in an institutional campaign commercial on the prevention of celiac disease, a condition his daughter suffers from. What does he do today? After the resignation of Stefano Tedeschi, in 2006 Pierluigi Collina was appointed consultant to the new Serie A referees designator Cesare Gussoni. In 2007 he became the referee designer and technical-athletic consultant of the Can A and B of the national AIA committee. On July 3, 2010, he resigned from the position of referee designator of the Italian championship: in fact, appointed UEFA designator by president Michel Platini, he chose to maintain only the European position. His previous role was covered ad interim by the then AIA president Marcello Nicchi. On January 20, 2017, he was appointed president of the FIFA Referees Committee. He describes his life today: "I am privileged because combining work and passion doesn't happen to everyone. I continue to be involved in refereeing, and this is priceless, even in the face of the sacrifices of a very demanding life." He tells BSMT that he misses the life of a referee: "I often dream of being on the field. I have a lot of fun, then I wake up, and it leaves a great disappointment. I think it's quite normal to feel all this when you stop doing something that was your life and gave you so much." He is also very famous among the younger generations: "It is a great satisfaction for me when they recognize me and ask for my autograph. What surprises me is that many 15-year-olds who weren't even thought of when I was on the field ask me for it."