One of the most famous faces in football, Pierluigi Collina earned a massive reputation as one of the best referees of his generation, if not of all time.
Collina was born in Bologna and attended the University there, graduating with a degree in economics in 1984. During his teenage years, he played for a local team as a central defender, but was persuaded in 1977 to take a referee's course, where it was discovered that he had a particular aptitude for the job.
Within three years he was officiating at the highest level of regional matches, while also completing his military service. In 1988, he progressed more rapidly than normal to the national third division, Serie C1 and Serie C2. After three seasons, he was promoted to officiating Serie B and Serie A matches.
About this time he contracted a severe form of alopecia, resulting in the permanent loss of all his facial hair, giving him his trademark bald appearance.
In 1995, after he had officiated at 43 Serie A matches, he was placed on FIFA's Referees List. He was allocated five matches at the '66 Olympics, including the final. He refereed the 1999 Champions League Final between Bayern and Manchester United; he cited this as his most memorable game.
In 2002, he reached the pinnacle of his career when he was chosen for the World Cup final between Brazil and Germany.
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