Pierluigi Collina is considered one of the best football referees of all time. His name stands for clear decisions, maximum concentration and an unmistakable presence. Between 1998 and 2003, Collina was voted "FIFA World Referee of the Year" six times in a row, a record that remains unbroken to this day. Pierluigi Collina was born in Bologna in 1960. He has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Bologna and trained as a financial advisor. At the same time, he began his career as a football referee. He worked his way up determinedly and from 1991 onwards he refereed matches in Italy's top league, Serie A. Three years later, he was appointed to international matches and in 1995 he was included in the FIFA list. The highlights of his career include numerous finals, including Nigeria vs Argentina at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the 1999 Champions League final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, and the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany. Collina was also active at the European Championships in 2000 and 2004. EURO 2004 was his last major international tournament, as he was approaching the age limit of 45 for international referees. He ended his career in August 2005. After retiring as an active referee in August 2005, Collina moved into management and training roles. He worked for UEFA and took over as chairman of FIFA's Referees Committee in 2017. In 2003, he was awarded the title of ‘Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana’ by the Italian President for his life's work. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hull in 2004. Today, Collina is sought after as a speaker and source of inspiration: he talks about peak performance, decision-making under pressure and team motivation, topics that are relevant far beyond football. His style is authentic, clear and focused on the essentials.