Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has opened up on his decision to have two hair transplants - after a brutally honest comment by his wife.
Clattenburg officiated in the top-flight for 13 years and became one of English football's most recognisable refs before quitting for a move abroad in 2017.
During his successful career, he refereed a number of notable matches including the 2016 Champions League final and the European Championship final in France the same year.
One year after reaching the pinnacle of his career, Clattenburg opted to have a hair transplant in a bid to amend his receding hairline.
And the ex-ref went back to the Medical Hair Restoration Clinic in May this year to fill in a patch of thinning hair.
Clattenburg has now revealed that his inspiration behind his procedure was his wife, who brutally claimed he was looking old.
He told Paddy Power’s From The Horse’s Mouth podcast : “I had to go to Ireland for my hair transplant. I had to go twice because I was going so bad.
“My missus was saying I was looking old, so I thought I’d get a hair transplant quickly and it’d look alright.
“And I’m happy with it, but now I’m out of refereeing, I might as well let it go.”
During his heyday, Clattenburg was arguably one of the best referees in the Premier League.
That meant he often officiated the biggest games and he had several on-pitch bust-ups with high profile managers including Jose Mourinho.
And he has now opened up on his relationship with the Portuguese boss, who is currently in charge of Tottenham.
He added: "He blames me for getting him the sack at Chelsea.
“But I would say it was more all of the results before that, too. He was hard work when he came back from Real Madrid and, well, I got him the sack at Chelsea.
“When he went to Manchester United, he was thinking the same thing - I’m going to get him the sack, so he was always anti-me."
