Football is among the games with the most fans and spectators globally. Every game must have a referee who must interpret and enforce the laws of the sport during a match. The best football referees have integrity, good judgment, good communication skills, and courage. They ensure fair play on the field.

The best football referees have had long-running careers in football. They understand all the nitty-gritties of the sport and ensure all players abide by the game's rules and requirements.

Best football referees of all time

Great judgment by a football referee is a byproduct of effort and experience. The general rule to apply is if there is no advantage gained, and if no player is disadvantaged, there should be no call. Read on to discover the best referee in the world in 2023 and more details about them.

15. Kim Milton Nielsen

Who is the best referee in the whole world? — Kim Milton Nielsen before the Group E match between Germany and the Republic of Ireland at the World Cup Group Stage. Photo: @David Cannon/Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

Full name: Kim Milton Nielsen
Date of birth: 3rd August 1960
Age: 62 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Copenhagen, Denmark

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Did you know Kim Milton Nielsen is an IT manager by trade? The retired referee started refereeing at 15. His towering height of 196 centimetres made him taller than most players. He was awarded his FIFA international badge in 1988.

14. Sándor Puhl

fifa referee rankings — Sandor Puhl pictured on the field in1996. Photo: @Achim Scheidemann/picture alliance
Source: Getty Images

Full name: Sándor Puhl
Date of birth: 14th July 1955
Date of demise: 20th May 2021
Age at death: 65 years
Place of birth: Miskolc, Hungary

Sándor Puhl is remembered for supervising four matches in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States of America. The late football official also refereed UEFA Champions League matches, including the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final.

13. Peter Mikkelsen

Full name: Peter Mikkelsen
Date of birth: 1st May 1960
Date of demise: 30th January 2019
Age at death: 58 years
Place of birth: Amager, Denmark

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Peter Mikkelsen refereed five matches at FIFA World Cups. Two were in 1990 and three in 1994. He also referred at UEFA European Championship tournaments. Peter retired in 2008 and worked in the human resource department of F-Group, a Danish company, until his demise.

12. Michel Vautrot

who is the best referee in football history — Claude Simonet (L) listens to Michel Vautrot (R), general manager of the course and technical director of arbitration (DTNA). Photo: @JEAN-LOUP GAUTREAU/ AFP
Source: Getty Images

Full name: Michel Jean Maurice Vautrot
Date of birth: 23rd October 1945
Age: 77 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Saint-Vit, France

Michel Jean Maurice Vautrot is a retired football referee from France. He is mostly known for officiating two FIFA World Cup matches in 1982 and three in 1990. One of his career highlights was refereeing the Club World Cup final in 1983 in Tokyo.

11. Felix Brych

Full name: Felix Brych
Date of birth: 3rd August 1975
Age: 47 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Munich, Germany

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Felix Brych referees for SV Am Hart München of the Bavarian Football Association. He formerly refereed FIFA matches and was ranked as a UEFA elite category referee. Brych was awarded his FIFA badge in 2007.

10. Howard Webb

best referee in the world in 2023 — Howard Webb poses in the Quadrangle of Buckingham Palace after being presented with a Member of the British Empire (MBE) medal by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. Photo: @Anthony Devlin - WPA Pool
Source: Getty Images

Full name: Howard Melton Webb
Date of birth: 14th July 1971
Age: 51 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Rotherham, United Kingdom

Howard Webb is a former professional football referee who officiated primarily in the Premier League between 2003 and 2014. He was also a FIFA international referee from 2005 to 2014. He retired from the sport to become the technical director of Professional Game Match Officials Limited.

9. Pedro Proença

Who is the best referee in the Premier League? — Pedro Proenca talks during the opening session of Day 1 of Soccerex Europe Convention at Tagus Park in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: @Gualter Fatia/Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

Full name: Pedro Proença Oliveira Alves Garcia
Date of birth: 3rd November 1970
Age: 52 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Lisbon, Portugal

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Pedro Proença has refereed various notable matches, including the Taça de Portugal finals, Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, Taça da Liga finals, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA European Championships. In 2006–07, he was named the Portuguese Referee of the Year and was promoted to UEFA's Elite category at the start of the 2009–10 season.

8. Oscar Ruiz

famous referees in football — Oscar Ruiz in action during the training session ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 tournament at SAI Training Centre in Kolkata, India. Photo: @Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

Full name: Óscar Julián Ruiz Acosta
Date of birth: 1st November 1969
Age: 53 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Villavicencio, Colombia

Oscar Ruiz is a former football referee who officiated in 2002, 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups. He is currently working as a referee instructor. He is also a trained lawyer.

7. Frank De Bleeckere

Full name: Frank De Bleeckere
Date of birth: 1st July 1966
Age: 56 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Oudenaarde, Belgium

Frank De Bleeckere refereed in his first World Cup finals in Germany. However, he had to pass a late fitness test following an injury. He started his career in 1984 and is now retired.

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6. Bjorn Kuipers

Full name: Björn Kuipers
Date of birth: 28th March 1973
Age: 49 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Oldenzaal, Netherlands

Björn Kuipers was a FIFA listed referee from 2006 to 2021. He was also a UEFA Elite group referee from 2009 to 2021. He is now retired and enjoys long e-bike rides, Grolsch beer, and getting to work with Marco van Basten.

5. Cüneyt Çakır

Full name: Cüneyt Çakır
Date of birth: 23rd November 1976
Age: 46 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: İstanbul, Türkiye

Cüneyt Çakır is best known for refereeing the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final between Barcelona and Juventus. He also appeared on the top FIFA referee rankings and was FIFA listed from 2006 until his retirement in 2010.

4. Nestor Pitana

Full name: Néstor Fabián Pitana
Date of birth: 17th June 1975
Age: 47 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Corpus, Argentina

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Nestor Pitana is one of the best football referees in the world. He is an Argentine former football referee and former actor. He refereed at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Copa América.

3. Martin Atkinson

Full name: Martin Atkinson
Date of birth: 31st March 1971
Age: 51 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Drighlington, United Kingdom

Martin Atkinson is one of the most famous referees in football,. He is currently working as a referee coach after retiring from professional football refereeing. He mainly officiated matches in the Premier League. He became an official in the Football League as an assistant referee in 1995 and worked his way up.

2. Mark Geiger

Full name: Mark William Geiger
Date of birth: 25th August 1974
Age: 48 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Beachwood, New Jersey, United States of America

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Mark Geiger is a sports administrator and former football referee. He is the general manager of match officials at the Professional Referee Organisation. The firm oversees domestic referees in Major League Soccer.

1. Pierluigi Collina

best referee of the year — Pierluigi Collina receives the Walther Bensemann Prize of the German Academy for Football Culture. Photo: @Daniel Karmann/picture alliance via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

Full name: Pierluigi Collina
Date of birth: 13th February 1960
Age: 63 years (as of 2023)
Place of birth: Bologna, Italy

Who is the best referee in the world in 2023? Pierluigi Collina was named The World's Best Referee by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics consecutively from 1998-2003.

Initially, he dreamed of making it as a professional footballer. Instead, Collina went to become the best referee of the year six consecutive times.

Recap of the best football referees of all time

Rank	Name
1	Pierluigi Collina
2	Mark Geiger
3	Martin Atkinson
4	Nestor Pitana
5	Cüneyt Çakır
6	Bjorn Kuipers
7	Frank De Bleeckere
8	Oscar Ruiz
9	Pedro Proença
10	Howard Webb
11	Felix Brych
12	Michel Vautrot
13	Peter Mikkelsen
14	Sándor Puhl
15	Kim Milton Nielsen

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Who is the best referee in football history?

Pierluigi Collina is arguably the best referee of all time. He was named The World's Best Referee by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics for six consecutive years.

Who is the best football referee?

Pierluigi Collina is arguably the best referee in the world. He officiated numerous high-profile matches.

Who is the best football referee in Europe?

Some of the best football referees in Europe are Pierluigi Collina, Mark Geiger, Felix Brych, Nestor Pitana, and Cüneyt Çakır.

Who is the best referee in the whole world?

Many people can agree that Pierluigi Collina is the best referee globally. He is now retired.

Who is the best referee in the Premier League?

The top referees in the Premier League include Paul Tierney, Simon Hooper, Andy Madley, Michael Oliver, Anthony Taylor, and Robert Jones.

Why is Pierluigi Collina the best referee?

Collina was the best referee because he was highly respected by the players, managers and fans. He had a calm authority and a sense of fair play under great pressure.

Who is the best referee in Africa?

The top African football referees are Bamlak Tessema, Bakary Gassama, Salima Rhadia Mukansanga, Victor Gomes, and Mustapha Ghorbal.

The best football referees in the world have officiated any high-profile and international matches. They are respected for facilitating fairness among all players on the pitch.

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