As MasterCard's Football Ambassador, Collina joins the likes of Pele, Eusebio, Bobby Charlton and Jurgen Klinsmann in the role for MasterCard - an Official Sponsor of the UEFA European Championship since 1992 and the UEFA Champions League since 1994.
As part of his involvement with MasterCard, Collina will be holding a series of young referee insight sessions across Europe, to encourage and inform elite referees of tomorrow, who one day could use the knowledge he hopes to pass on at the very highest levels of the world game.
As the voice of football for MasterCard, he will also be sharing his experience and insights at the highest professional level of the game with MasterCard partners, including how his innovative and meticulous preparation for games - where he studied teams and players ahead of officiating them - can be applied to other walks of life, including business.
Collina said: "Passing on my experience and sharing my insights to young referees is something I'm passionate about. My new partnership with MasterCard will help me to connect with all facettes of the game and I'm very proud to have been asked by a company that has been so involved with football for many years."
Paul Meulendijk, Head of Sponsorship, MasterCard Europe, said: "Pierluigi is one of the legends of the game and a true pioneer as a referee. He is respected by players and fans alike and we are very much looking forward to working together to leverage our most valuable sponsorship assets with stakeholders at the heart of commerce. We are delighted to continue our presence at the heart of football with Mr Collina."
