Referees are an important part of the game because they make critical decisions that ensure the match is fair. They play as the match's 12th player, and their job is to make correct decisions and award things fairly. In football, we have seen many such referees who have been regarded as some of the best in the sport.

However, one wrong decision can turn the match around, which is why FIFA selects highly knowledgeable referees to officiate the match, and with this in mind, we rank the top ten best referees in football.

10 Kim Milton Nielsen

An IT professional who pursued a career in refereeing and rose to become one of the greatest referees of all time. Nielsen's 6'6 height made him an intimidating referee, and he officiated games very well. Was a referee in a large number of games, including 53 UEFA Champions League games and 154 international games.

He began his career at the age of 15, and by the age of 28, he was the first FIFA-accredited referee. Before retiring at 45, he officiated in some memorable Champions League finals.

9 Sandor Puhl

Between 1994 and 1997, he received the IFFHS World Top award four times in a row for his outstanding performance as a referee. Sandor Phul is a retired Hungarian referee who is still regarded as one of FIFA's best officials. He had his bad moments, such as his 1994 World Cup carelessness, which resulted in an eight-match ban from officiating. For six years, he was also the deputy chairman of the Hungarian Football Association.

8 Peter Mikkelsen

Peter Mikkelsen, known as the "ex-father of cellent Danish refereeing," served as a FIFA-affiliated referee between 1991 and 1993, and was recognised by FIFA as the best official in the world. Following his over-age, he officiated the game in the 1998 World Cup before retiring from refereeing.