Nielsen's number's up

By Pete Sanderson

The return of the UEFA Champions League has brought a frenzy of activity but for at least one of the participants in Wednesday's games may have felt inclined to take a few moments out for reflection.

Famous landmark
As he took the field with his assistants Jørgen Jepsen and Torben Jensen to officiate the game between FC Bayern München and Arsenal FC at the Olympiastadion, Kim Milton Nielsen became the first referee to take charge of 50 games in Europe's premier club competition.

'Tremendous honour'
"It is a tremendous honour that I am the first referee to officiate 50 Champions League games," the 44-year-old Danish official, who is an IT manager off the pitch, told uefa.com. "It only seems like only yesterday that my Champions League career began."

Final appearance
One of the officials on duty at UEFA EURO 2004™ last summer, the 1.94m-tall Nielsen received the ultimate accolade when he officiated in the final of the Champions League between FC Porto and AS Monaco FC last season. However, it is not the most memorable of his 49 previous matches.

Memorable games
He said: "So many games stand out - perhaps the biggest and best will be this week's game between Arsenal and Bayern. Games between English and German teams are always very memorable affairs and both sides like to play fast flowing, physical football.

Replayed fixture
"I have officiated some amazing games but I vividly remember refereeing a match between Leeds United [AFC] and [VfB] Stuttgart in 1992 and the match had to be replayed at the Camp Nou because Stuttgart fielded an ineligible player," remembered Nielsen. "The atmosphere was incredible."

Passionate affair
Nielsen added: "I also enjoyed taking charge of the game between Rangers [FC] and [PFC] CSKA Moskva which was played in Bochum later that year [on 9 December]. That was a fiery fixture and always stands out in my mind. [Rangers won the game 1-0]."

Special atmosphere
"There is something special about taking charge of Champions League matches," continued Nielsen. "As the famous anthem booms out around the stadiums it sends shivers of pride down your spine so just to be involved in these kind of occasions is something which means a lot to me."

Early developer
It is certainly a far cry from Nielsen's first steps in refereeing, taken when he was a teenager back in Denmark in 1976. Ten years later, and still only in his mid-20s, Nielsen was a top-flight referee in Denmark, and he received his full FIFA license in 1988.

Famous face
Since then he has been everywhere as a referee and has become a minor celebrity. "I do get noticed a lot when walking down the street in Denmark but maybe that's because I am quite tall and easy to spot," he said. "People are always very friendly - hopefully that is because they see me as a fair referee."

Retirement age
At 44, Nielsen is now within sight of the end of his career as an international referee, as the current rules dictate that officials cannot continue to be put in charge of major international games beyond the age of 45. However, having reached his latest landmark, Nielsen is far from keen to retire.

Final wish
"The 50-game landmark is not a record that I have ever really thought about achieving - it has just happened and long may it continue," he said. "If I had one dream it would be for the age to be raised so the likes of myself and Pierluigi Collina could continue to officiate at the highest level."