François Letexier to referee Liverpool vs Real Madrid: what do we know about him?
One of the most anticipated fixtures of the Champions League group stage is the fifth-round clash between Liverpool and Real Madrid. UEFA has appointed 35-year-old French referee François Letexier to officiate this match. The Dailysports team has prepared a profile on this referee.
Who is François Letexier?
Letexier was born on April 29, 1989, in Bédée, France. He began refereeing at the age of 13 and started officiating Ligue 1 matches in January 2016. His debut in France's top division came on January 23 of that year, in a match between Montpellier and Caen.
Letexier's rise was rapid. Within a year, he became a FIFA referee, and on March 23, 2018, he officiated his first international match, a friendly between Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
By the age of 35, Letexier had worked at numerous tournaments, with the pinnacle of his career so far being his role as the referee for the Euro 2024 final. This made him the first Frenchman in 36 years to officiate a European Championship final. His performance earned him the title of "Referee of the Year 2024" from the French Football Federation.
Like many referees, Letexier has a civilian profession outside of football. He works as a judicial officer and performs these duties daily when not officiating matches.
Letexier and Liverpool matches
Interestingly, Letexier made his Champions League debut in a Liverpool match. This occurred on December 9, 2020, in an away game against Midtjylland, which ended in a 1-1 draw. His second and most recent match involving Liverpool was the second leg of last season’s Europa League quarterfinals, where Jürgen Klopp’s side defeated Atalanta 1-0.
Letexier and Real Madrid matches
Letexier has officiated three Real Madrid matches to date. Two of these were first-leg Champions League quarterfinals: against Chelsea in the 2022/2023 season (a 2-0 win) and against Manchester City in the 2023/2024 season (a 3-3 draw).
The third encounter was a group-stage Champions League match last season, where Real Madrid defeated Napoli 4-2.
Lars Foster
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
