Anthony Taylor decides to end his refereeing career: "The pressure is intense"

One of the most experienced and best English football referees, Anthony Taylor, has decided to end his career.

The 47-year-old from Manchester last refereed a World Cup round of 16 match, a derby between Spain and Portugal. The Red Furies won with a goal from Mikel Merino in the 91st minute and went on to win the world title.

He administered justice at the highest level for almost 20 years and after 831 matches he decided to retire.

"Officiating at the elite level is a great privilege, but the pressure is intense and the scrutiny is constant. It is the right time for me to step down and focus on the next phase of my career," Taylor said in a statement.

Certainly the biggest match he refereed was the 2024 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. The year before, he was at the centre of the Europa League final between Roma and Sevilla. He also refereed the 2020 UEFA Super Cup between Bayern Munich and Sevilla.

He made his Premier League debut in February 2010 in a clash between Fulham and Portsmouth. Since then, he has made 432 appearances in the top flight of English club football.

He has refereed FA Cup finals twice, in 2017 and 2020, and in 2015 he was at the centre of the League Cup and Community Shield finals.

Of course, he has also refereed at the national team level. At the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, he was the main referee for five matches, while at the 2020 and 2024 European Championships, he refereed six matches. Among other things, he refereed the match between Denmark and Finland, where Christian Eriksen suffered a heart attack.

UEFA trusted him, as evidenced by the fact that in 2021 he administered justice in the Nations League final between Spain and France.