• Howard Webb has come to the forefront of refereeing in recent years, both in his native England – where highlights include the 2006/07 League Cup final and the 2008/09 FA Cup final – but also abroad, particularly in 2009/10.

• His appointment on matchday two of the 2006/07 campaign was his first taste of the UEFA Champions League proper, reward for an impressive performance at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal.

• A former police officer who enjoys keeping fit, Webb already has a long career behind him having been inspired to pick up the whistle by his father at the age of 18. Took charge of the 2005 FA Community Shield, and that November was in the middle for his first senior international between Northern Ireland and Portugal.

• Having overseen five qualifiers, Webb was referee for two games at UEFA EURO 2008 and in 2008/09 took charge of the UEFA Cup semi-final first leg between Werder Bremen and Hamburger SV.

• The following season he became the fifth Englishman to oversee the European Cup final when FC Internazionale Milano overcame FC Bayern München in Madrid. Even better was to come at the FIFA World Cup, however, where Webb refereed three matches before becoming the first Englishman since Jack Taylor in 1974 to be awarded the final as Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0. Followed that with three matches at UEFA EURO 2012.