*Undated
Referees were first described in football by Richard Mulcaster in 1581 and since then they have played a vital role in any match. Moreover, FIFA allows referees to wear jerseys among the five colors which are black, red, yellow, green, and blue, but referees are required to wear black shorts, black socks during any game. Teamkenya.co.ke has compiled a list of the best football referees in history.
Lets dive in:
10. Frank de Bleeckere
Frank de Bleeckere became the Belgian Professional Referee of the Year for a record seven times. And, he achieved that feat from 2000 to 2013. He made his debut in 1984 and worked as a FIFA-affiliated referee from 1998 to 2012.
He made his international debut in a match between Cyprus and Ireland at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifier on 24 March 2001. Bleeckere then continued his international journey by refereeing many matches. He made his name as the only referee from Belgium to officiate in 7 world cup matches. Bleeckere officiated matches in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also served as one of the 16 “Refereeing Technical Advisors” of FIFA in 2012.
9. Oscar Ruiz
Retired Colombian football referee Oscar Ruiz Acosta made his name as the best Colombian referee of all time. He worked as a FIFA-affiliated referee from 1995 to 2011. Ruiz has received severe criticism after he sent off Yoann Gourcuff in the final group stage match between France and South Africa.
After his retirement from active refereeing, he served his terms as a member of CONMEBOL’s referee assistance program. Besides his football career, he is also a lawyer by profession.
8. Pedro Proença
Portuguese football referee Pedro Proença made his name the best referee of modern times. He still officiates international football. He became the first referee to officiate both the finals of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA European Championship in the same calendar year.
Proenca became the FIFA-affiliated referee in 2003 and was also listed in the UEFA’s Elite category in 2009. He has received the Best Referee of The Year award in 2007 and 2011 by the Portuguese Football Federation.
IFFHS also named him as the World’s Best Referee in 2012. Besides his international achievements, he also officiated many vital club matches.
7. Michel Vautrot
Retired French football referee Michel Vautrot is considered one of the best referees from France. But, he made a hilarious and funny decision at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He added 8 minutes of stoppage time in the semifinal between Italy and Argentina. Later, he stated that he forgot to check his watch.
IFFHS named him as the World’s Best Referee twice consecutively. He received huge criticism after FIFA banned FC Roma for bribing him with £50,000. One of the richest football clubs, Roma, did that prior to the 1986 European Cup semi-final.
6. Peter Mikkelsen
Danish former football referee Peter Mikkelsen is often regarded as the pioneer of the great Danish refereeing. He worked as the FIFA affiliated referee during his heydays. Mikkelsen officiated two matches at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy at the age of just 30.
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics named Mikkelsen as the World’s Best Referee in 1991 and 1993. He declared his retirement from active refereeing after the 1998 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Besides his career, he also served in the Human Resource department of the Danish company F-Group for 10 years. And after a long battle with cancer, this referee died on 30th January 2019.
5. Sandor Puhl
Retired Hungarian football referee Sandor Puhl is widely considered among the top referees in soccer history but sadly, he is a highly criticized figure in Spain due to his negligence at the 1994 World Cup quarter-final between Italy and Spain where Mauro Tassotti elbowed Luis Enrique on the face in the penalty box during injury time where the impact broke Enrique’s nose.
He became famous as the referee of the 1994 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Italy. IFFHS named him as the World’s Best Referee of the year four times consecutively from 1994 to 1997.
Besides refereeing, he also served as the Deputy Chairman of the Hungarian Football Association from 2000 to 2006.
4. Kim Milton Nielsen
Danish former football referee Kim Milton Nielsen was famous for his distinctive 6 feet 6 inches tall look as he was taller than most of the international football players. He had officiated 154 internationals and 53 UEFA Champions League matches during his career.
He first became the FIFA-affiliated referee in 1988 at the age of just 28. And, he served his duty until his retirement on 16th May 2006 after reaching the UEFA regulated age limit of 45.
3. Howard Webb
English former football referee Howard Webb recently declared his retirement from active refereeing on 6 August 2014 in order to serve as the Technical Director of the Professional Game Match Officials Board.
He served as a FIFA-listed referee from 2005 to 2014 and also officiated in Premier League matches from 2003 until his recent retirement. In 2010, he served as the referee of the UEFA Champions League Final and FIFA World Cup Final and became the first referee to do so in a single calendar year.
He was named FIFA’s Best Referee of the Year 2010 and also received 2011 New Year Honors for his contribution to football. Before he turned towards his refereeing career, he was a sergeant in the South Yorkshire Police.
2. Markus Merk
German former football referee Markus Merk is widely considered the best football referee of his time and is the record holder for officiating the highest numbers of Bundesliga matches.
He received FIFA’s “Best Referee of the Year” award three times and DFB German Referee of the Year a record six times. He debuted as the youngest Bundesliga referee ever in 1988 at the age of just 25. Merk also officiated football matches at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
He is currently the main referee commentator of the Turkish channel Lig TV covering the Turkish Super League. Besides his refereeing career, he is also a professional dentist.
1. Pierluigi Collina
Italian former football referee Pierluigi Collina served his terms as a FIFA-listed referee from 1995 to 2005. He was named FIFA’s “Best Referee of the Year” a record six consecutive times and is widely regarded as the best referee of international football history.
Collina is a current member of the UEFA Referees Committee and has also served his duty as a Chief of the Football Federation of Ukraine since July 5, 2010. He persuaded his referee’s course way back in 1977.
Collina has earned his nickname ‘Kojak’ for his distinctive bald look because of alopecia. After he officiated in 43 Serie A matches, he was inducted into FIFA’s Referees List in 1995. Some of the best matches that he officiated were the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final between Brazil and Germany and the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Manchester United.