You don't notice the referee during the game unless he makes a bad call.
Drew Curtis
Drew Curtis, an American writer, once posed an interesting challenge: If referees are supposed to go unnoticed, then why is there a growing list of famous referees? And if they're only remembered for making bad calls, does that mean the referees in our spotlight are all known for their mistakes? And what about the great female referees—are they being overlooked in this conversation?
Rather than speculate on Curtis's thoughts about referees, we're here to flip the script. In this article, we're showcasing 10 of the most famous football referees in history, who've made a name for themselves for their calls and exceptional careers. Whether you're familiar with these names or not, you'll soon discover what sets them apart in the world of football officiating.
| Referee | Where they're from | What they're famous for |
|---|---|---|
| Pierluigi Collina | Italy | 5x IFFHS Best Referee World's All-Time Best Referee |
| Howard Webb | England | Refereeing 500+ matches |
| Nicola Rizzoli | Italy | 7x Serie A Referee of the Year 2x IFFHS World's Best Referee |
| Mark Clattenburg | England | Officiated more than 250 Premier League matches |
| Ravshan Irmatov | Uzbekistan | 10x Uzbekistan Referee of the Year 5x AFC Referee of the Year Global Soccer Award Best Referee |
| Viktor Kassai | Hungary | Best Football Referee Hungary controversies |
| Massimo Busacca | Switzerland | Refereeing 245 Swiss Super League games Refereeing 87 UEFA matches |
| Markus Merk | Germany | 6x Germany Referee of the Year 3x IFFHS best referee |
| Pierluigi Pairetto | Italy | Helping revolutionise the game |
| Mark Halsey | England | 14 years Premier League referee |
Pierluigi Collina
Pierluigi Collina
Pierluigi Collina is widely regarded as one of the greatest football referees in history. His journey began in an unexpected way—while playing as a centre-back for his local club as a teenager, his potential as a referee was recognised by officials who encouraged him to take a referee course. However, it wasn't until 1988, 11 years later, that he began officiating.
After that, things happened rather fast. Pierluigi qualified for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) listing in 1995, travelling around the world to officiate high-profile matches. One such was the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany.
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) recognised his excellence by naming him the Best Referee in the world five times in a row from 1998 to 2003. They also awarded him the title of the World's Best All-Time Referee for the period of 1987-2020. Watching him in action, it's clear why—his unwavering authority on the pitch set him apart from the rest.
Howard Webb
Howard Melton Webb
Howard Webb followed in his father's footsteps and became a referee at the age of 22. Interestingly, 1993 was also the year he began his career as a police officer. By 2008, his passion for football took precedence, and he decided to take a five-year sabbatical from the police force to focus entirely on refereeing.
He retired from active refereeing in 2014, then skipped across the pond to work with the US referee organisation. There, he helped establish referee development programs, as well as setting referee performance standards.
Nicola Rizzoli
Nicola Rizzoli
Unlike many of our top referees, Nicola came to his football refereeing career rather late. He was 27 when he became a Serie C referee, perhaps because of his focus on studying architecture (his primary career). He - and other referees, having another occupation makes one wonder how much referees earn, that they must have a second income source.
Late bloomer though he might have been, Nicola didn't waste any time making a name for himself as a referee. He earned his FIFA badge just over five years after joining Serie A. However, his career wasn’t without controversy. In 2015, Pierluigi Collina criticised him for not issuing a red card after Hector Moreno's tackle broke Luke Shaw's leg, stressing the importance of prioritising player safety.
Mark Clattenburg
Mark Clattenburg
Mark Clattenburg's passion for football has driven him to serve as a referee since the age of 15. Throughout his career, he has officiated several prestigious matches, including the UEFA Champions League final and the European Championship Final, both in 2016.
He left the Premier League in 2017 to become Head of Refereeing for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. He later extended his expertise to refereeing roles in China and Egypt, where he focused on improving international officiating standards.
Although he may not be universally regarded as the best Premier League referee in history, he is widely praised for his game management style—despite one memorable moment when he forgot an essential component of referee hand signals, as highlighted in this clip.
Ravshan Irmatov
Ravshan Sayfiddin oʻgʻli Irmatov
When Ravshan took leadership of the Uzbekistan Football Association, he made it his mission to clean it up. Notorious for its corruption, this governing body faced criticism and sanctions from global football agencies.
Ravshan's integrity put paid to those dark times. Along the way, this famous FIFA referee became one of the first Asian referees to officiate a FIFA World Cup knockout-stage event. In this clip, Ravshan calls the kick correctly, despite the commentators and fans getting it wrong.
Viktor Kassai
Kassai Viktor
In many ways, Viktor Kassai embodies the 'gentleman referee' trope. He stands upright, holding his dignified, salt-and-pepper head high. He's passionate about the rules - indeed, he knows everything you need to know about refereeing.
The Hungarian press declared Viktor the best football referee in the world (2011), but that didn't hold back fans' outrage over two bad calls. The first was in 2017, as he refereed the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. The second came in 2018, during the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, over a tripping incident. This clip delivers a sample of that outrage.
Massimo Busacca
Massimo Busacca
Massimo Busacca, one of the world-best football referees cultivated his love for the game by playing it. However, he soon realised that he loved the structure and the rules more. He traded his team jersey for a Swiss Super League referee's uniform in 1996. In 1999, he graduated to the FIFA-listed ranks, where he refereed until retirement.
He's refereed high-profile matches, such as the UEFA Euro tournament (2008), and the FIFA Confederation Cup (2009). Crowds challenged his normally even temper in 2009, his response resulted in a three-match ban. He turned his momentary judgment lapse into a lesson. Today, Massimo is the Director of Refereeing at FIFA.
Markus Merk
Markus Merk
Markus started refereeing football matches when he was 12 years old, breaking the standard 14-years-old minimum age requirement. In 1988, he repeated that feat by becoming the Bundesliga's youngest-ever referee, at just 25 years old. Four years later, he qualified as a FIFA referee, officiating at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Markus enjoyed a two-decades-long career, retiring in 2008. In itself, that's rather unusual, because FIFA's peak age benchmark (45 years) was its mandatory retirement age as recently as 2015. Still, Markus remains one of the fittest football referees, past and present. He's a dedicated triathlete with a marathon personal best time of 2:42.
Pierluigi Pairetto
Pierluigi Pairetto
Pierluigi Pairetto rose to prominence in Italian football during the era when Dutch legend Johan Cruyff was championing the Total Football system. While it's unclear if this philosophy influenced Pairetto's refereeing, he had a natural understanding of the game. His effective game management left a lasting impact on many aspiring Italian referees.
Despite his significant contributions to Italian football, and for that, he ranks among the most famous football referees, Pairetto's career was overshadowed by a match-fixing scandal, which led to a three-and-a-half-year ban. Unfortunately, this incident marred his legacy, and little else is known about his later years.
Mark Halsey
Mark R. Halsey
Mark Halsey was a goalkeeper for 12 years, playing for Hertford Town and Cambridge City as a non-League player. He kept goal for other teams as well but, in 1989, he went all in on becoming a referee. He cut his referee teeth as a National List official for The Football League (mid-90s to 1999). That year, he was promoted to the Premier League.
As a FIFA referee (2000-2006), Halsey officiated around the world. Beijing, Belgium and France all welcomed his management skills at exhibition games and tournaments alike. After retiring from refereeing at the end of the 2013 season, he began writing for CaughtOffside, a popular football blog that covers news, analysis, and opinions on the sport.
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