Before the match had even begun, the Italian Football Federation announced the officiating crew.
Collina would referee this globally anticipated clash.
Collina's rise had been unmistakable.
The thirty-six-year-old referee had begun officiating youth matches at seventeen and possessed extensive experience.
He had also been refereeing Serie A for five years.
What the Italian Football Federation valued was his control over matches.
They did not want another incident like Totti spitting at Simone, so they had appointed this young, rising referee.
Although Collina had only five years of top-flight officiating experience, his standards had won recognition from many.
His philosophy had also earned widespread approval: let the players decide the match, not the referee.
Some referees with a strong desire to perform always wanted to become the stars of the pitch.
They even became a damn spectacle themselves.
In the era of the BIG4, there were also the corresponding four blind knights, along with Ferguson, Wenger, Mourinho, and Benitez. That was one of the Premier League's attractions.
Dejan Lu felt Serie A was still lacking something.
Italian players had ability, but no distinctive appeal.
If they were handsome, they just damn well chased women, and even their dating lives generated no buzz.
All of Vieri's girlfriends combined were less famous in Britain than one old lady Rooney knew.
Things were different once the news reached Fleet Street.
If Ferguson went out for coffee, they reported it as though he were about to launch some plan to destroy the world with satellites.
If Arsenal signed a player, before he had even made his mark, they had already written a convincing childhood-sweethearts story about him.
The Premier League's later golden age owed much not only to its natural advantages, but also to the English media.
When he accepted the award later, Dejan Lu