Former top ref lists Wembley, Bridge and Loftus Road among his favourite grounds

Former high-profile referee Keith Hackett has included Stamford Bridge in his top 10 greatest football grounds in the world.

Hackett, who spent three decades as a top-flight official and was also a Fifa referee, included Wembley in his list, which he compiled for You-Are-The-Ref.com and added that Loftus Road was also one of his stand-out stadiums.

Chelsea’s home was ninth on Hackett’s list, which was topped by Wembley, with Anfield second and Old Trafford fourth.

He wrote: “The old Stamford Bridge could be a cold, desolate place because it was almost a one-sided stadium to some degree with one giant stand on the side.

“It also had The Shed but the ground was a mixture of different styles and it didn’t seem joined together. The pitch was never a good playing surface and the supporters were so far away that I don’t think they felt part of things, they were just watching from afar.

“Thankfully, it has changed a lot today and the crowd is now much closer to the action and when the blue flags are waving it’s a great sight.”

Loftus Road was not among his top 10 but Hackett, who refereed QPR’s 1986 Milk Cup final defeat against Oxford at Wembley, added: “There are some stadiums that stick in my mind for different reasons.

“Loftus Road, the home of QPR, is tiny but the crowd are right on top of the pitch so the noise can be deafening. There might be less than 20,000 in the ground but they make the same noise as 40,000.

“I can remember refereeing an FA Cup replay there midweek and getting stuck in terrible traffic. When I arrived we were missing a linesman so we put at an appeal to the crowd for a volunteer.

“Three people came forward including a young man and two older guys. I chose the most experienced older guy. The youngest guy laughed and said it was probably for the best, before rolling up his sleeve and showing me a huge QPR tattoo.”

Hackett’s top 10:
1: Wembley
2: Anfield (Liverpool)
3: The Bernabeu (Real Madrid)
4: Old Trafford (Manchester United)
5: St James’ Park (Newcastle)
6: Estadio Azteca (Mexico)
7: Highbury/The Emirates (Arsenal)
8: Hampden Park
9: Stamford Bridge (Chelsea)
10: Giants Stadium, New York