UEFA has appointed English referee Michael Oliver to officiate Tuesday evening’s UEFA Champions League opener between Real Madrid and Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Oliver brings extensive experience in European competitions and the Premier League; however, his appointment revives memories of one of the most controversial matches in Real Madrid’s recent history against Juventus in 2018.
The 41-year-old official has previously overseen five European fixtures featuring Real Madrid, yielding three victories and two defeats for the Spanish side: losses against Juventus (3–1) and Bayern Munich (2–1), and victories over Eintracht Frankfurt (2–0), Sporting Braga (2–1), and Olympiacos (4–3).
The 2018 clash against Juventus remains his most famous, where Oliver awarded a stoppage-time penalty to Real Madrid—converted by Cristiano Ronaldo to secure qualification—before issuing a red card to goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon for intense protests.
Conversely, Inter Milan have only featured under Oliver’s charge once in recorded European competition, which occurred in their Champions League opener last season when the Italian side secured a 2–0 victory over Ajax in Amsterdam.
That encounter saw VAR intervene to overturn a penalty initially awarded against Inter following a shirt-pull review in the box, before Marcus Thuram sealed the victory with a brace for the Nerazzurri.
In the current Premier League season, Oliver has officiated three fixtures: Brentford vs Tottenham, Chelsea vs Brighton, and Hull City vs Aston Villa. Across these matches, he has issued 8 yellow cards, no red cards, and awarded one penalty, averaging 21.3 fouls per game.
Tuesday’s match marks Oliver’s most high-profile European assignment since officiating at the 2026 World Cup, representing his sixth match taking charge of Real Madrid and only his second with Inter Milan.
