ONE of football’s all-time great referees looks unrecognisable in a rare throwback picture.
The legendary official was in charge of the 2002 World Cup final.
He was also the man in the middle for the 1999 Champions League final – when Manchester United famously scored twice in added time to beat Bayern Munich 2-1.
A throwback shot of the former ref is reported to have featured in a 2020 documentary on his life by Sky in Italy.
It shows him with long flowing locks, although the date of when the picture was taken is unknown.
But the snap of the now 62-year-old came before he developed alopecia aged 26, according to the Daily Star.
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The condition saw him lose all of his facial hair.
And the man in question is none other than iconic Italian official, Pierluigi Collina.
Born in Bologna, he spent 10 years refereeing internationally as a Fifa listed referee.
Collina also spent 14 years taking charge of games in Serie A, making his debut in 1991.
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For six straight years from 1998-2003, he was named “The World’s Best Referee” by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.
After hanging up his whistle in 2005, Collina stayed involved in football.
He is now chairman of the Fifa referees committee.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
