Artur Soares Dias is in charge of Juventus’ opening Champions League game of the season against Malmo, so Football Italia takes a closer look at who the Portuguese referee is.
Born in Porto on July 14, 1979, this is the first time the 42-year-old officiates Juventus or Malmo during his career.
However, he has experience with Serie A clubs, having previously refereed Roma, Inter, Fiorentina, Lazio, Torino, Atalanta and even Italy.
The Azzurri won one of the two games with the Portuguese match official in charge: against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a UEFA Nations League clash in November 2020.
The other game officiated by Dias was a 0-0 draw against Germany in a friendly encounter with Gian Piero Ventura in charge of the Azzurri.
The Portuguese referee has officiated 30 Champions League games in his career, including Atalanta’s 4-0 win against Midtjylland and Lazio’s 1-1 draw against Zenit last year.