The 2006 World Cup final seems to have had some major consequences on the life of those involved in it. We all know that, once winning the World Cup, a coach always tends to quit the job. Why? Because it's not every time that you get the chance of quitting while on top. And that's exactly what the last 5 World Cup winners had to experience after conquering the World. Franz Beckenbauer (Germany - 1990), Carlos Alberto Parreira (Brazil - 1994), Aime Jacquet (France - 1998), Felipe Scolari (Brazil - 2002) and Marcello Lippi (Italy - 2006) were the latest such examples.

Well, it seems that not only technicians are leaving the world of football. As refereeing is concerned, we all know that "whistling" a World Cup final is the ultimate challenge. That's why, just like the players and the coaches, the referees who get to take part in the final have achieved all they wanted to do with their professional lives. And that's exactly how Argentine Horacio Elizondo feels after refereeing the 2006 final.

Of course, many might remember him as the man who eliminated Wayne Rooney in the World Cup quarterfinals, or the referee who ended Zinedine Zidane's career in disgrace. But we all know that, in terms of the 2006 World Cup, he was the right man for the job. And he couldn't have been gladder for that. Still, the Zidane - Materazzi incident will haunt him forever, not so much for the decision he had to make, but for what he had to see on the field. After living one of his greatest experiences in career, Elizondo decided to retire from football.

"My goals in refereeing have been achieved. It's time now to teach what I have learnt. I want to leave through the front door. When I saw Materazzi on the ground, I stopped the game. Assistant number one informed me what the fourth official had told him. A referee is ready to work with 22 players, 11 of each colour and with different numbers, not caring about the names. You cannot even think you're sending-off Zidane in the last game of his career", stated Elizondo regarding what happened on the football field.

Horacio Elizondo is 45 years of age and was the first referee ever to "whistle" both the first and last game of the World Cup (Germany - Costa Rica and Italy - France). Also, he was the first Argentine to referee a World Cup final.

Elizondo retired after the December 10 match between Boca Juniors and Lanús, 6 years before the compulsory retirement age.

Background:
Elizondo completed studies in physical education, and started refereeing after finishing the AFA course.
His debut in the Argentine first division was in the Deportivo Español vs. Belgrano de Córdoba match in 1992.
He was named international in 1994, and directed his first international match on October 9, 1996 between Ecuador and Colombia for the 1998 World Cup qualifications.

Other competitions:
Among the several international competitions in which he participated are the Copa América of 1997 and 1999), the U-17 World Cup of 1997 and 2005, the U-20 World Youth Championships of 2003 and 2005, the Olympic Games of 2004, and the FIFA Club World Championship of 2000. In the latter, he showed a red card to David Beckham in the tie between Manchester United and Necaxa.
He also refereed in the final matches of the 2002 and 2005 Copa Libertadores de América. In the 2005 tournament the two Brazilian finalist teams São Paulo FC and Atlético Paranaense lobbied Conmebol to have Elizondo as the main referee.
On August 16, 2006 Elizondo refereed the second final of the 2006 Copa Libertadores.
Elizondo broke the Argentine First Division record showing 12 yellow cards on August 19 in the match between Boca Juniors and Independiente. The media, though, supported most of his decisions.
In the annual world referee ranking of the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), Elizondo was positioned 5th in 2001, 12th in 2005 and 1st in 2006.