REFEREES from Spain

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Spanish Referees of all time. This list of famous Spanish Referees is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Spanish Referees.

1. Manuel Mejuto González (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 53.66, Manuel Mejuto González is the most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.

Manuel Enrique Mejuto González (born 16 April 1965) is a Spanish former football referee. He is best known for refereeing the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final between Liverpool and Milan. He also officiated two matches in the Euro 2004 in Portugal. In European club competition, he has refereed three UEFA Cup matches and thirty-seven UEFA Champions League matches in his career.

2. Carlos Velasco Carballo (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 52.66, Carlos Velasco Carballo is the 2nd most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos βeˈlasko kaɾˈβaʎo]; born 16 March 1971) is a retired Spanish professional football referee.

3. Luis Medina Cantalejo (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 52.38, Luis Medina Cantalejo is the 3rd most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Luis Medina Cantalejo (born 1 March 1964) is a Spanish former football referee. He was one of the few officials allowed to officiate the domestic clashes between Real Madrid and Barcelona. His first experience as an international referee came on 4 September 2004, between Turkey and Georgia, in a preliminary qualifier for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

4. Alberto Undiano Mallenco (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 50.54, Alberto Undiano Mallenco is the 4th most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈβeɾto wnˈdjano maˈʎeŋko]; born 6 October 1973) is a retired Spanish football referee. He was a full international referee for FIFA from 2004 to 2019. Undiano is also a part-time sociologist.

5. Jesús Gil Manzano (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 48.24, Jesús Gil Manzano is the 5th most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Jesús Gil Manzano (Spanish pronunciation: [xeˈsus ˈxil manˈθano]; born 4 February 1984) is a Spanish football referee. He officiates in the Spanish Primera División. He made his La Liga debut on 25 August 2012 in a game between Málaga and Mallorca. Gil Manzano also appeared in the 2013–14 Copa del Rey quarterfinals game between Racing de Santander and Real Sociedad, where Racing refused to play after one minute. Following the game between Barcelona and Girona on 23 September 2018, that ended 2–2, Lionel Messi refused to shake his hand after the match. He has also refereed in top league matches of various countries, such as on 10 February 2019, in the derby PAOK - Olympiacos 3–1.

6. Carlos del Cerro Grande (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 47.11, Carlos del Cerro Grande is the 6th most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Carlos del Cerro Grande (born 13 March 1976) is a Spanish former football referee. He has been an international referee since 2013 until 2023, with his debut coming in an international match on 26 May 2013 until 2023, between the under-19 teams of Scotland and Georgia. On 15 June 2021, Del Cerro refereed in a major international finals match for the first time when he officiated the group match of Euro 2020 between France and Germany. He faced criticism for not calling a foul against Germany in their penalty area. He Served as the fourth official during the UEFA Euro 2020 final and 2021 UEFA Champions League final He took charge of the UEFA Europa Conference League final between Fiorentina and West Ham United on 7 June 2023.

7. Alejandro Hernández Hernández (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 46.84, Alejandro Hernández Hernández is the 7th most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Alejandro José Hernández Hernández (born 10 November 1982) is a Spanish football referee. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2014. He is widely regarded as one referee of Spain's greatest referees in contemporary football, having been voted as the best by the Spanish FA's technical committee in 2017.

8. Eduardo Iturralde González (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 45.53, Eduardo Iturralde González is the 8th most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Eduardo Iturralde González (born 20 February 1967 in Arrankudiaga) is a retired Spanish football referee. He frequently served as a referee for European matches in the Europa League and Champions League. Iturralde notably refereed the El Clásico on three occasions, in 1999, 2005 and most recently in November 2010, in which he was praised by Barcelona for his performance. Iturralde González was the referee of the Republic of Ireland's 2–1 win over Armenia in the last Euro 2012 qualifying match. Early in the game, he sent off Armenian goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky for a handball, although video replays indicated that the ball hit his chest. Two days after the match, the Football Federation of Armenia officially filed a protest to UEFA over the goalkeeper's dismissal. On 23 March 2012 he announced his retirement from refereeing due to disagreements with the Spanish Technical Committee, although it was already time for him to retire at the end of the 2011–12 season. His last game was Real Betis vs Real Madrid (2–3) on 10 March 2012. He could not finish this game due to a muscle injury, being substituted by the fourth referee, Gorka Sagués Oscoz, during half time.

9. David Fernández Borbalán (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 40.14, David Fernández Borbalán is the 9th most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

David Fernández Borbalán (born 30 May 1973) is a retired Spanish football referee. His first match officiating in La Liga was on 12 September 2004, between Levante UD and Racing de Santander. Borbalán also refereed a key match in Synot liga season 2014–15 between AC Sparta Prague and FC Viktoria Plzeň on 9 May 2015. He was chosen, upon validation from FIFA, to referee the 2018 Greek Cup Final between AEK and PAOK at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, amidst concerns over supporter riots and violence during the game and despite protests by Greek football chairmen and refereeing bodies over the appointment of non-Greek officials. Two weeks later, he took charge of his final La Liga fixture, a 1–0 win for RCD Espanyol over Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés in a match which meant little to the fortunes of the teams involved but was played at a venue specified as being preferred by the referee for his last appointment.

10. Carlos Clos Gómez (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 39.53, Carlos Clos Gómez is the 10th most famous Spanish Referee.  His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Carlos Clos Gómez (born 30 June 1972 in Zaragoza, Spain) is a First Division football referee. He became a UEFA class referee in January 2009. He began refereeing football matches in 1988, after a year in futsal. In 2001 he played his first game in the Second Division, and in 2006 he made his debut in First. In 2009 he became a FIFA referee, which allowed him to participate in international matches. Thus, he refereed the Europa League matches and the preparation of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was an assistant referee in Euro 2012 and the Champions League. In 2017 he had to retire at the age of 45, the age limit for refereeing. In 2008, Clos Gómez was forced to abandon a match between Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao after an Athletic player was struck by a bottle thrown from the crowd. Clos Gómez was named to FIFA's international list in 2009, and has served as a referee during qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, beginning with the 7 September 2012 match between Lithuania and Slovakia.