Pierluigi Collina, born on February 13, 1960, in Bologna, Italy, is widely regarded as one of football's greatest referees. He earned a degree in economics from the University of Bologna in 1984. He is currently FIFA's chief refereeing officer.

He officiated five matches at the 1996 Olympic Games, including the final between Nigeria and Argentina. He also refereed the 1999 UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Manchester United, which he cited as his most memorable game because of the cheers at the end, which he described as a "lions' roar". In June 2002, he reached the pinnacle of his career when he was chosen to officiate the World Cup final between Brazil and Germany.

He was named "The World's Best Referee" by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics six consecutive times from 1998 to 2003.

After retiring from active refereeing in 2005, Collina transitioned into leadership roles, including Chairman of the Serie A referees and Chief Refereeing Officer at UEFA. He currently serves as the Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, overseeing refereeing standards worldwide.

Collina's career is celebrated for his calm authority, fair play, and significant contributions to football refereeing, making him a respected figure in the sport's history.

Collina has a simple creed as relevant to business as refereeing: analyse each team's tactics to ensure you're in the right place at the right time, and defuse tense situations quickly and fairly. Above all, learn from your mistakes - but resist the temptation to make matters worse by compensating for them.

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