Michael Oliver's net worth, salary and all the details about his life

Michael Oliver's net worth, salary and all the details about his life

Helix Odhiambo
April 10, 2024 at 10:39 AM
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Michael Oliver is a prominent figure in football and one of the best referees in Premier League history. His path to the beautiful game has been one of commitment, accuracy, and unrelenting determination. Michael Oliver's net worth has increased annually, making him one of the wealthiest football referees.

Michael Oliver's age
Referee Michael Oliver has officiated many Champions League and EPL games. Photo: Michael Regan, Juan Manuel Serrano, Alex Caparros (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Table of Сontents:

Michael's legacy extends beyond the field. He advocates for fairness and justice in football. Sports Brief explores his biography, career, net worth, and intriguing facts that define him.

Michael Oliver's profile

Full name

Michael Oliver

Date of birth

20 February 1985

Age

39 (as of April 2024)

Birthplace

Ashington, Northumberland, United Kingdom

Nationality

English

Height

1.74 m (5'8")

Weight

78 kg

Profession

Football referee

Father

Clive Oliver

Wife

Lucy Oliver

Children

Two

Net worth

$1 million

Michael Oliver's net worth and salary

How much is Michael Oliver worth? The experienced Premier League match official has an estimated net worth of $1 million, as reported by ABTC. Michael has built his wealth from his illustrious refereeing career through salaries and bonuses.

Facts about Michael Oliver
Michael Oliver during the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League R16 second-leg between Real Sociedad and Paris Saint-Germain at Reale Arena on 5 March 2024, in San Sebastian, Spain. Photo: Alex Caparros
Source: Original

Michael Oliver's salary

According to the Sun, Oliver and Anthony Taylor are the highest-earning Premier League match officials. The two English referees receive a base salary of around $53,000. In the Premier League, the main ref earns around $1.9k per match and $1k as an assistant or on VAR.

The Northumberland-based referee received around $3.8k for officiating a match between Al-Hilal and Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia on 18 April 2023, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Michael Oliver's bio

Michael Oliver (age 39 as of April 2024) was born on 20 February 1985 in Ashington, Northumberland, UK. His father, Clive Oliver, introduced him to refereeing at 14.

Michael Oliver's family
Michael (L) at the 2023/24 UCL game on 5 March 2024. His father, Clive (R), during the Coca-Cola League 2 play-off on 23 May 2009 in London. Photo: Bryn Lennon, Alex Caparros (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

According to the FA, Clive is a former Football League referee who served as Northumberland County FA chief executive. He has officiated in the FA Cup, Championship, and a League Two play-off final at Wembley. Details of other Michael Oliver's family members remain undisclosed.

Clive and Michael became the first father and son to feature on the National List of Match Officials (2004-05). In an interview with the Guardian, Clive expressed his sentiments on refereeing alongside his son.

"I'm ecstatic from my point of view and I'm ecstatic for Michael. We're a big football-loving family so it's a real family celebration."

Who is Michael Oliver's wife?

The experienced match official married his sweetheart, Lucy Oliver, in 2015. Lucy is a female football referee who advocates for gender equality in refereeing. She is a Level 3 referee and FA-qualified match official.

Michael Oliver's wife
Lucy Oliver (L) officiates a game on 2 May 2016. On the right is her during a Women's International friendly match in April 2017. Photo: Dave Thompson, Matt Lewis (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Lucy, whose dream is to officiate in a World Cup, Olympics or Euro finals, has officiated in the Women's Super League and men's non-league games. She officiated the 2011 women's FA Cup final and the under-17 Euro qualifiers in Austria. She told Chronicle Live how she ended up pursuing her career.

"I started playing when I was about seven, but there were no real opportunities for me and no girls' teams around so I gave it up.
"I wanted to stay involved in football in some way and that's how I ended up refereeing. It's important that people know there are other options available in football besides playing and coaching, and there are lots more opportunities in the sport for girls now.

Lucy is a former sports lecturer. She also served as Sunderland College's sports development officer, helping 16 to 25-year-olds become more active. In 2014, the Independent reported that the Premier League referee allegedly gave his then-girlfriend, Lucy, a lift in the officials-only car after Chelsea beat Burnley in August 2014.

Michael Oliver's children

ABTC reported that Lucy and her husband have two kids. However, the couple has kept details of their children private.

Michael Oliver's career

Oliver's journey into refereeing was influenced by his father, Clive, who introduced him at 14 and quickly advanced to the National List of Referees in 2007. He officiated the Conference National play-off final in 2007 and broke Stuart Attwell's record in 2010 to become the youngest Premier League referee.

Michael Oliver referee
English referee Michael Oliver officiates his first Premier League game between Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers at St. Andrews, Birmingham, on 21 August 2010. Photo: Olly Greenwoord
Source: Getty Images

According to Dario AS, Michael took charge of his first EPL game (Birmingham City vs Blackburn Rovers) at 25 years and 182 days old. He is also the Youngest Football League assistant referee, Youngest Football League referee, and Youngest fourth official in the Premier League.

Michael officiated the 2014 FA Community Shield. He became a member of FIFA in 2012 and the Elite Group of Referees in 2018. He officiated at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, taking charge of three matches, including the semi-final.

In his Transfermarkt stats, Michael has refereed over 695 games, issuing over 22,000 yellow cards and 44 red cards as of April 2024. He has officiated in top tournaments like the 2022 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and the 2022 UEFA Super Cup.

Frequently asked questions

Michael Oliver red cards Benjamin Pavard
Michael Oliver (R) issues a red card to Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard during their UEFA Champions League match against PSG at the Parc des Princes on 14 February 2023. Photo: Anne-Christine
Source: Getty Images

Michael Oliver has established himself among the best referees in football. His journey and achievements have inspired many who yearn to become match officials. Here are more facts about him.

Where is Michael Oliver's house?

Premier League referee Michael Oliver reportedly has a house in Ashington, Northumberland. In February 2021, Marca revealed that Michael had to move his family out of his home after facing death threats following his game between Real Madrid and Juventus in 2018.

Oliver awarded Real Madrid a tie-deciding penalty and sent off goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon for his protests after Juventus had come from 3-0 down in the first leg in Turin to level the scores.

What games has Michael Oliver refereed?

According to Sportsmole, the Englishman has officiated over 40 games in the last 12 months as of April 2024. They include:

  • Premier League - 29
  • Championship game - 1
  • International Friendlies - 1
  • Champions League games - 5
  • Europa League - 2
  • Euro Champ Qualifying - 2

Is Michael Oliver on Instagram

The English match official is not active on social media but frequently discusses his decisions and matches on various football-related platforms.

Final word

Michael Oliver's net worth and career achievements reflect his years of hard work and dedication. His leadership and decision-making skills have helped him control matches and players.

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Helix Odhiambo
Helix Odhiambo is an award-winning Kenyan journalist and content creator with over 6 years of experience. In 2016, he won the Goal Blaze Correspondent Award for young writers.