Alan Shearer
Encyclopedia
Alan Shearer OBE, DL
(born 13 August 1970) is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton
, Blackburn Rovers
, Newcastle United
and for the England national team
. He is widely considered as one of England's best ever strikers, being both Newcastle's and the Premier League's record goalscorer.
Having retired as a player in 2006, Shearer now works as a television pundit for the BBC
. Toward the end of his playing career, Shearer worked towards gaining the UEFA Pro Licence, and expressed a desire to eventually become a manager
. In 2009 he briefly left his BBC role to become Newcastle United's manager in the last eight games of their 2008–09 season, in an unsuccessful attempt to save them from relegation.
A native of Newcastle upon Tyne
, Shearer made his professional debut with English top-flight club Southampton
in 1988
, scoring a hat-trick in the process. During several years on the south coast, he became known for his classic style of play, strength and goalscoring ability; he soon received an international call-up along with a transfer to Blackburn Rovers
in 1992. Shearer established himself as a player in northern England; he became a regular in the England squad, and his 34-goal tally helped Blackburn secure the Premier League title in 1994–95
. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995. The 1995–96 season saw Shearer make his first Champions League
appearances and finish as the top scorer in the Premier League with 31 goals. He was also top scorer at Euro 1996 with England, scoring five goals, and in the 1996–97 Premier League, with 25 goals.
A world-record £15 million move to his boyhood heroes, Newcastle United, followed the Euro '96 tournament, and Shearer spent the remainder of his career with the club. While he would never win a major trophy at Newcastle, Shearer won runners-up medals in the Premier League and FA Cup
with Newcastle, and a second PFA Player of the Year award. After being named England's captain in 1996 and Newcastle's captain in 1999, he retired from international football following Euro 2000, having amassed 63 appearances and 30 goals for his country.
He scored 283 league goals in his career, including a record 260 in the Premier League, and a total of more than 300 in all competitions.
As well as his media work, he has raised substantial amounts of money for various national and local charities
, both within and outside of sports. Shearer is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), a Deputy Lieutenant
of Northumberland
, a Freeman
of Newcastle upon Tyne
and an honorary
Doctor of Civil Law
of Northumbria
and Newcastle Universities.
, Newcastle in 1970 to working-class parents Alan and Anne Shearer. His father, a sheet-metal worker, encouraged a keen Shearer to play football in his youth, and the young player continued with the sport as he progressed through school. He was educated at Gosforth Central Middle School
and Gosforth High School
. Growing up playing on the streets of his hometown, he originally played in midfield
because "it meant [he] could get more involved in the games." Shearer captained his school team and helped a Newcastle City Schools team win a seven-a-side tournament at St James' Park
, before joining the amateur Wallsend Boys Club
as a teenager. It was while playing for the Wallsend club that he was spotted by Southampton
's scout
, Jack Hixon
, which resulted in Shearer spending his summers training with the club's youth team, a time he would later refer to as "the making of me". Shearer had successful trials for First Division
clubs West Bromwich Albion
, Manchester City
and Newcastle United
, before being offered a youth contract with Southampton in April 1986.
on 26 March 1988, coming on as a substitute
in a First Division
fixture at Chelsea
, before prompting national headlines in his full debut at The Dell two weeks later. He scored a hat-trick, helping the team to a 4–2 victory against Arsenal
, thus becoming the youngest player — at 17 years, 240 days — to score a hat-trick in the top division, breaking Jimmy Greaves
' 30 year–old record. Shearer ended the 1987–88 season with three goals in five games, and was rewarded with his first professional contract.
Despite this auspicious start to his career, Shearer was only eased into the first team gradually and made just ten goalless appearances for the club the following season
. Throughout his career Shearer was recognised for his strength, which, during his time at Southampton, enabled him to retain the ball and provide opportunities for team mates. Playing as a lone striker between wide men, Rod Wallace
and Matt Le Tissier, Shearer scored three goals in 26 appearances in the 1989–90 season, and in the next, four goals in 36 games. His performances in the centre of the Saints attack were soon recognised by the fans, who voted him their Player of the Year for 1991
. His partnership with fellow striker Matt Le Tissier would eventually pave the way to international success.
In the summer of 1991, Shearer was a member of the England national under-21 football squad
in an international tournament in Toulon
, France. Shearer was the star of the tournament where he scored seven goals in four games. It was during the 1991–92 season that Shearer rose to national prominence. 13 goals in 41 appearances for the Saints led to an England
call-up; he scored on his debut, and was strongly linked in the press with a summer move to Manchester United
. A possible move for Shearer was being mentioned in the media during late autumn of 1991, but he rejected talk of a transfer and vowed to see out the season with Southampton.
During the summer of 1992 Southampton's manager, Ian Branfoot
, became "the most popular manager in English football", as he took telephone calls from clubs "trying to bargain with players they don't want plus cash". Although Branfoot accepted that a sale was inevitable, he claimed that "whatever happens, we are in the driving seat". Eventually, Shearer was sold to Blackburn Rovers
for a fee of £3.6 million, with David Speedie
reluctantly moving to The Dell as part of the deal. Despite Branfoot's claim to be "in the driving seat", Saints failed to include a "sell-on clause" in the contract. In his four years in the Southampton first team, Shearer made a total of 158 appearances in all competitions, scoring 43 goals.
. Although there was also interest from Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson
, Blackburn benefactor Jack Walker
's millions were enough to prise the striker from the Saints, and Shearer moved north to Ewood Park
in the summer of 1992.
His first season with Blackburn was mixed — he missed half of it through injury after snapping his right anterior cruciate ligament
in a match against Leeds United
in December 1992, but scored 16 goals in the 21 games in which he did feature. Shearer also became a regular in the England team this season and scored his second international goal; it came in a 4–0 1994 FIFA World Cup
qualifier win over Turkey
in November. The season ended sourly, however, as Shearer was forced to miss some games due to injury and England's World Cup qualification chances were hit by a run of poor form.
Returning to fitness for the 1993–94 season, he scored 31 goals from 40 games as Blackburn finished runners-up in the Premier League. His performances for the club led to him being named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year for that season. On the international scene, England had failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup finals, but Shearer added three more goals to his international tally before embarking on his most successful domestic season as a player to date.
The arrival of Chris Sutton
for the 1994–95 season established a strong attacking partnership at Blackburn. Shearer's league-record 34 goals, coupled with Sutton's 15, helped the Lancashire club take the Premier League title from holders Manchester United on the final day of the season, and the duo gained the nickname "the SAS" (Shearer And Sutton). After being asked by the press how he planned to celebrate winning the title, Shearer replied, by "creosoting the fence". Shearer also had his first taste of European football in the UEFA Cup
that season, and scored in the second leg as Blackburn went out in the first round, losing to Trelleborgs FF
of Sweden. His efforts for the club led to Shearer being awarded the PFA Players' Player of the Year
for 1995.
Although the club could not retain the title the following year
, Shearer again ended the (now 38-game) season as Premier League top scorer, with 31 goals in 35 games, as Blackburn finished seventh in the league. The previous season's first-place finish also saw the club enter the Champions League
. Shearer's only goal in six full Champions League games was a penalty in a 4–1 victory against Rosenborg in the final fixture and Blackburn finished third in their group, failing to progress to the next stage. Shearer's international strike rate had also dried up, with no goals in the twelve matches leading up to Euro 96
. He missed the final three games of the season for his club due to injury, but recovered in time to play in England's UEFA European Championship campaign.
, managed by his hero Kevin Keegan
.
Shearer made his league debut away at Everton, on 17 August 1996, and maintained his form during the rest of the season, finishing as Premier League top-scorer for the third consecutive season with 25 goals in 31 Premier League games, as well as winning another PFA Player of the Year accolade, despite a groin injury forcing him to miss seven matches. Perhaps his best performance of the season came on 2 February 1997 when Newcastle went into the final 15 minutes of the game 3-1 down at home to Leicester City
in the league, only for Shearer to win them the game 4-3 by scoring a late hat-trick.
However, the league title still eluded the club, who finished second in the league for a consecutive year, with Keegan walking out mid-way through the season.
Another injury problem; this time an ankle ligament injury sustained in a pre-season match at Goodison Park
, restricted Shearer to just two goals in 17 games in the 1997–98 season. His injury was reflected in the club's form, and Newcastle finished just 13th in the League. However, United (now managed by Shearer's old boss at Blackburn, Kenny Dalglish
) had a good run in the FA Cup; Shearer scored the winning goal in a semi final victory over Sheffield United as the team reached the final. The team were unable to get on the scoresheet at Wembley, and lost the game 2–0 to Arsenal.
An incident during a game against Leicester City in the league saw Shearer charged with misconduct by the FA, with media sources claiming that video footage showed him intentionally kicking Neil Lennon
in the head following a challenge. The referee of the game took no action against Shearer, and he was then cleared of all charges by the FA, with Lennon giving evidence in the player's defence. Former Football Association chief Graham Kelly
, who brought the charges against the player, later claimed in his autobiography that Shearer had threatened to withdraw himself from the 1998 World Cup
squad if the charges were upheld; a claim strenuously denied by Shearer.
An almost injury-free season helped Shearer improve on his previous year's tally in 1998–99, the striker converting 14 goals in 30 league games, but Newcastle finished 13th again, with Ruud Gullit
having replaced Kenny Dalglish just after the season got underway.
He also helped Newcastle to a second consecutive FA Cup final and qualification for the following season's UEFA Cup, but they once again lost; this time 2–0 to Treble
-chasing Manchester United.
Further managerial changes betrayed another lacklustre season in 1999–2000 as unpopular Ruud Gullit resigned to be replaced by the 66-year-old Bobby Robson
. The former's dismissal followed his decision to leave Shearer out of the starting lineup for the club's 2–1 defeat to arch-rivals Sunderland. Despite Gullit giving Shearer the captain's armband, reports of a rift between club captain and manager were rife, Gullit's decision proved deeply unpopular with fans and his departure capped a dismal start to the season. The animosity between Shearer and Gullit was later confirmed by the latter, who reported telling the striker that he was "...the most overrated player I have ever seen." Even with Robson in charge, the club struggled to progress beyond mid-table, although Shearer missed only one league game and notched up 23 goals. Newcastle did reach the FA Cup semi finals, but a third consecutive final was beyond them as they were beaten by Chelsea. This season also saw Shearer sent off for the first time in his career, in the opening match against Aston Villa, after referee Uriah Rennie
showed him a second yellow card for excessive use of his elbows.
Ironically, Robson had tried to sign Shearer for Barcelona
in 1997, making a bid of £20million which would have seen Shearer break the world's transfer fee record for the second time in 12 months. However, then Newcastle manager Kenny Dalglish
rejected the offer.
Shearer suffered an injury-hit and frustrating season in 2000–01, having retired from international football after the UEFA Euro 2000 tournament in order to focus on club football. He managed only five goals in 19 games in the league. 2001–02 was much better though; Shearer bagged 23 goals in 37 league games as Newcastle finished fourth—their highest standing since 1997—meaning they would qualify for the following season's Champions League
competition. One of the most memorable incidents of the season saw Roy Keane
sent off after a confrontation with Shearer during Newcastle's 4–3 win over the Red Devils in September 2001. Shearer also saw red for the second time in his career this season, after allegedly elbowing an opposition player in a match against Charlton Athletic
. The card was subsequently rescinded by referee Andy D'Urso
after reviewing video replays after the game.
The 2002–03 season saw Shearer and Newcastle make their return to the UEFA Champions League
. Newcastle lost their first three matches in the opening group stage, but Shearer's goal against Dynamo Kiev, coupled with further wins against Juventus and Feyenoord saw the club progress to the second group stage. Shearer's hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen
and Brace against Inter in the second group stage helped him reach a total of seven Champions League goals, along with his 17 in 35 games in the league, and a total of 25 for the season as the team again improved to finish in third place in the Premier League.
After this, Newcastle would have one more chance to progress in the Champions League in early 2003, but Shearer was one of those who failed to score as the team were eliminated in a penalty shootout by Partizan Belgrade
in the third qualifying round. United progressed well in that season's UEFA Cup and Shearer's six goals helped the club reach the semi-finals, where they were beaten by eventual runners up Olympique de Marseille
. Domestically he also had a good season, with 22 goals in 37 appearances, however could not prevent the club dropping out of the Champions League places to finish in fifth, qualifying once again for the UEFA Cup.
Announcing that this would be his final season before retirement, Shearer's form in 2004–05 was patchy; alongside new signing Patrick Kluivert
, he scored only seven goals in his 28 games as the club finished the season in 14th place. The club fared better in the cup competitions, however, eventually losing out to Sporting in the Uefa Cup quarter-finals and Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals. Shearer scored a hattrick in the first round win against Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin, and ended the season with a haul of 11 European goals, in addition to his one goal in domestic cups.
The summer of 2005 saw Shearer reverse his decision to retire after persuasion from then-manager Graeme Souness
. He decided to continue playing in a player-coach capacity until the end of the following season. and he returned for one more season in 2005–06
. This last season saw him break Jackie Milburn
's 49-year-old record of 200 goals for Newcastle United (not including his 38 World War II Wartime League
goals) when he netted his 201st strike in a home Premier League fixture against Portsmouth
on 4 February 2006, becoming the club's highest-ever league and cup competition goalscorer with 206 goals altogether. On 17 April 2006, with three games remaining in his final season as a player, Shearer suffered a tear to the medial collateral ligament
in his left knee after a collision during the 4–1 win at Sunderland in which he scored his 206th goal in what was his 395th appearance for the club. The injury caused him to miss those final three games, effectively bringing forward his retirement. Shearer finished his final season with 10 goals in 32 league games.
. The banner measured 25 metres (82 ft) high by 32 metres (105 ft) wide, covering almost half of the Gallowgate End, aptly placed above the club bar
, Shearer's, opened in his honour in 2005. The banner depicted Shearer as the "Gallowgate Giant", with one arm aloft in his signature goal celebration, with the message "Thanks for 10 great years", and was featured in the media coverage reflecting on his career at the club, with the banner being displayed from 19 April 2006 until 11 May 2006, the day of his testimonial match. The banner could be seen across the city and as far away as Gateshead
across the River Tyne
, standing taller than the iconic local landmark, the Angel of the North
.
Shearer was awarded a testimonial match
by the club, against Scottish-side Celtic
. All proceeds of the match went to charitable causes. Because of the injury he sustained three games earlier at Sunderland, Shearer was unable to play in the whole match; however he kicked-off the game and came off the bench to score a penalty, winning the game 3–2. The match was a sell-out, and saw Shearer perform a lap of honour at the end with his family, with his young son notably covering his ears due to the volume of noise produced by the crowd in tribute.
squad under Dave Sexton
. During his time with the squad, he scored 13 times in 11 games; a record return which is still unbeaten. The striker's goals at this level, coupled with his club form, meant he was soon promoted to the senior squad by coach Graham Taylor
. Marking his debut in the 2–0 win against France
in February 1992 with a goal, he made his only appearance for the England B
team a month later. Due to replace Gary Lineker
, who retired from international action after Euro 92, in the England attack, Shearer played only intermittently in the qualifying campaign for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
due to injury and the team failed to reach the competition finals.
Euro 96
was a more positive experience for both Shearer and England. With England not required to qualify as hosts, Shearer had not scored in 12 games in the 21 months prior, and even his overall goalscoring record for England did not look too impressive so far; five goals in 23 games.
However, he found the net in the 22nd minute of the first game, against Switzerland
. Scoring once in the following game against Scotland
and twice in a 4–1 win over the Netherlands, Shearer helped England to progress to the next stage in front of their own fans in Wembley.
In the quarter finals, England were outplayed by Spain
but got through to a penalty shootout
after a goalless draw. Shearer scored the first England penalty, while the Spaniards failed to score from two of theirs, sending England into the semi-final against Germany
. Shearer headed England into the lead after three minutes, but the Germans quickly equalised and the match went to penalties again. This time, Germany won from the spot; although Shearer scored, his team-mate Gareth Southgate
missed his kick and England were eliminated. Shearer's five goals made him the competition's top scorer, and together with team mates David Seaman
and Steve McManaman
, was listed in the official UEFA
team of the tournament.
The new England manager Glenn Hoddle
appointed Shearer squad captain for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
qualifier against Moldova
on 1 September 1996, and the player held onto the captaincy after scoring once in that match and twice in the following game against Poland
. He scored a total of five goals in England's successful qualification campaign for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
; adding strikes against Georgia and away to Poland to his tally. Shearer was sidelined for much of the 1997–98 season, but recovered to play in the World Cup finals. With Michael Owen
replacing Teddy Sheringham
as Shearer's strike partner, Shearer's return saw him score England's first goal of the tournament, in a 2–0 win over Tunisia
, his only goal in the three group matches. England faced long-time rivals
Argentina
in the second round. Shearer scored a first-half equaliser from the penalty-spot before David Beckham
was sent off early in the second half. In the final minutes of the game Sol Campbell headed in what could have been the winning goal only for the referee to disallow it due to Shearer having elbowed goalkeeper Carlos Roa. The scores tied 2–2, the game went to penalties. Shearer scored again, but England were eliminated after David Batty
's shot was saved by the Argentina goalkeeper. This defeat ended England's participation in what was to be Shearer's only World Cup tournament.
In September 1999, Shearer scored his only England hat-trick in a Euro 2000
qualifier against Luxembourg
. This helped England reach a play-off against Scotland; England won the game over two legs and in doing so qualified for the European Championships. By now, Shearer was approaching his 30th birthday, and he announced that he intended to retire from international football after the Euro 2000 tournament.
Shearer did not score in England's opening 3–2 defeat against Portugal
, but did so as England defeated Germany 1–0 in Charleroi
, ensuring that England beat their European neighbours for the first time since the 1966 World Cup Final
. To remain in the tournament, England only required a draw against Romania
in the final group match, and Shearer scored a penalty as England went in at half-time 2–1 up, but Romania ultimately won 3–2. England's tournament was over, and so was Shearer's international career. From his 63 caps, he captained the team 34 times and scored thirty goals; joint-fifth in the England all-time goalscorers list with Nat Lofthouse
and Tom Finney
. Shearer remained in international retirement despite speculation of a return during the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championship campaigns, and further declined an offer to be assistant manager to Steve McClaren
after the 2006 World Cup – a position ultimately filled by Terry Venables
.
As well as the two red cards, Shearer received 59 yellow cards during his career.
Shearer was noted as a proficient penalty
taker for both club and country, and he scored 45 times from the spot for Newcastle, where he was the first-choice taker. He also scored 5 goals from free-kicks for the north-east club.
Reflecting his desire for personal time off to "enjoy life", in July 2006 he turned down a coaching role with England, citing his BBC commitments and desire to be away from the pressure of a job within football. Despite this, Shearer was often linked in the media with managerial or coaching positions at his three former clubs.
Shearer took a brief role in the dugout for his final three games under Glenn Roeder. Shearer had rejected offers of coaching or assistant roles at Newcastle under both the returning Kevin Keegan in February 2008 and Joe Kinnear in November 2008. Shearer had previously had talks about, but never been offered, a full time manager's role at Newcastle until his appointment on 1 April 2009.
for the remaining eight games of the season
, taking over from head coach Chris Hughton
who was in temporary charge while the permanent manager Joe Kinnear
recovered from heart surgery, having taken ill on 7 February. Shearer stated "It's a club I love and I don't want them to go down. I'll do everything I can to stop that."
Shearer was unveiled at a press conference the following day by club managing director Derek Llambias
. In explaining his acceptance of a managerial role at Newcastle at this time, Shearer stated that he would not have done this for any other club in this position, including his two other previous Premier League clubs. Amid persistent questioning regarding the permanency of the appointment, Llambias announced that Shearer was to be manager for the remaining eight games, and after his recovery, Joe Kinnear would return as manager in the summer. Shearer confirmed that the BBC had agreed to giving him an 8 week sabbatical from his Match of the Day
role. Llambias also confirmed Dennis Wise
had left his executive role at the club and the club had no plans to appoint a replacement, with Shearer stating that "the people that have moved, were moving on anyways, that had nothing to do with me". Wise's presence had previously been speculated as being a blockage to any possible appointment of a manager. Shearer accepted the surprise offer on the Monday on the condition that he could bring in Iain Dowie
as his assistant. Shearer also brought in Paul Ferris to oversee club medical, physio and dietary matters. Ferris had previously worked with Shearer in his playing days, and had been at the club for 13 years prior to an earlier departure under then manager Glenn Roeder
.
His first match in charge ended in a 2–0 defeat against Chelsea
at St. James' Park. On 11 April, Newcastle earned their first point under Shearer with a 1–1 draw with Stoke City
at the Britannia Stadium
with Andy Carroll
scoring a late equalizing goal. After a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and a draw against Portsmouth, his first win for Newcastle came in a 3–1 victory over Middlesbrough
that lifted Newcastle from the relegation zone.
On the eve of the final day of the season on 24 May, where all fixtures are played simultaneously, Newcastle faced the prospect of being relegated to the Championship
, along with Hull City
, Middlesbrough and Sunderland
, which would end their 16 year unbroken spell in the Premier League. After losing 1–0 at Aston Villa
with Damien Duff
scoring an own goal, Newcastle were relegated with local rivals Middlesbrough, joining West Bromwich Albion whose relegation had been confirmed in previous weeks, while Sunderland survived. Shearer's eight games yielded only five points out of a possible twenty-four.
Shearer did not get the manager's job on permanent basis. Chris Hughton
stepped up from the coaching staff to take charge of the quest to get Newcastle back into the Premier League, which was achieved at the first attempt as Newcastle finished top of the Championship in 2009-10.
Despite Newcastle looking like good bets for survival with the halfway point of the 2010-11 Premier League campaign looming, Hughton was sacked on 6 December 2010 and this sparked speculation that Shearer would be re-appointed as manager of the club. However, Newcastle's directors said that they were looking for a manager with more top flight experience and Shearer had ruled himself out of the running. Alan Pardew eventually took over the role.
Wales
reported the Shearer had held talks with Championship
club Cardiff City
over the vacant manager job. Shearer commented the next day that, "unfortunately, those talks were unsuccessful on this occasion."
. He also formed part of the team which covered the 2006 World Cup for the BBC.
Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd
announced that, after Shearer finished the 2005–06
season as Newcastle's caretaker assistant manager, he would become the club's "Sporting Ambassador" for 2006–07
.
However in September 2008 it was reported that Shearer was sacked from this largely honorary position by the club's owner Mike Ashley
despite protests from players such as Steven Taylor
and Damien Duff
, due to Shearer's criticism of the way in which the club was being run in the wake of the departure of Kevin Keegan. These articles were denied by the club.
, taking part in the organisation's Full Stop campaign in 1999. Since retiring from football Shearer has also done work for several charities both nationally and in the Newcastle area.
In his testimonial match
, he raised £1.64m benefiting fourteen good causes including £400,000 for the NSPCC and £320,000 for completion of the "Alan Shearer Centre", a respite care facility based in West Denton
, Newcastle. In October 2006 he became an ambassador for the NSPCC, describing it as "the kick-off to my most important role yet". He has also worked with the charity the Dream Foundation. In 2006, Shearer founded the Alan Shearer Academy Scholarship to aid the development of promising young players in the region.
In 2008, he raised over £300,000 for Sport Relief
in a bike ride with fellow Match of the Day presenter Adrian Chiles
, the idea for which emerged in an off the cuff question from cycling fan Chiles to Shearer as to how he kept fit since retirement. Shearer also played and scored twice in Soccer Aid
, a game involving celebrities and former players at Wembley Stadium
in September 2008, to raise money for UNICEF.
On 26 July 2009, Shearer played and scored in the Sir Bobby Robson Trophy match
, a charity match held at St James' Park
in tribute of Sir Bobby Robson and in aid of his cancer charity the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation
. It proved to be Sir Bobby's last public appearance, as he died five days later. On 15 October 2009 Shearer became the new patron
of Sir Bobby's Foundation.
(wives and girlfriends) of later players by the media, Lainya is described by Shearer as a quiet and reserved person, not comfortable in the spotlight her husband's fame sometimes brought. The couple have three children. Shearer cited not wanting to uproot his family as a key reason for remaining in England during his career, having had the chance to move to Juventus or Barcelona when leaving Blackburn. Shearer's family accompanied him onto the pitch following the striker's testimonial in May 2006 as he performed a lap of honour at St. James' Park.
of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne
, with the citation "in recognition of his role as Captain of Newcastle United Football Club and as former Captain of England which have enhanced the reputation of the City".
Shearer was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours
.
On 4 December 2006, Shearer was created a Doctor of Civil Law
by Northumbria University
, at a ceremony at Newcastle City Hall
, where the University vice-chancellor
declared that "Throughout his career Alan Shearer has been hard-working, committed, disciplined and focused in his endeavours, fighting back from career-threatening injuries with great determination and courage".
On 1 October 2009, Shearer was commissioned as Deputy Lieutenant
of Northumberland
, having been nominated by the Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland
, the Duchess of Northumberland
, Jane Percy, and approved for the position by The Queen
. In this role, Shearer, along with 21 other deputies, is the stand-in for the Duchess when she cannot fulfill her role as The Queen's official representative in the region at official engagements. Deputies must live within 7 miles of the county boundaries
, and retain their appointment until age 75. The Duchess said of the appointment that "You could not find a more iconic person than Alan, not just for what he has done in football but for all the extra work he tirelessly does for charity and communities. I am delighted he has accepted the role of Deputy Lieutenant because he is a real role model. I have promised him he is not going to have to do too much, but even if it is just one occasion a year he is the perfect choice"
On 7 December 2009 Shearer was made a Doctor of Civil Law
by Newcastle University. Chancellor Sir Liam Donaldson
stated "Newcastle United are my team. Alan Shearer is more than just a local legend, he's probably one of the greatest footballers of all time".
|1987–88||rowspan="6"|Southampton
||rowspan="6"|First Division
||5||3||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||5||3
|-
|1988–89||10||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||10||0
|-
|1989–90||26||3||3||0||6||2||colspan="2"|–||35||5
|-
|1990–91||36||4||4||2||6||6||colspan="2"|–||48||14
|-
|1991–92||41||13||7||2||6||3||colspan="2"|–||60||21
|-
|Total||118||23||14||4||18||11||0||0||158||43
|-
|1992–93||rowspan="5"|Blackburn Rovers
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||21||16||0||0||5||6||colspan="2"|–||26||22
|-
|1993–94||40||31||4||2||4||1||colspan="2"|–||48||34
|-
|1994–95||42||34||2||0||3||2||2||1||49||37
|-
|1995–96||35||31||2||0||4||5||6||1||48||37
|-
|Total||138||112||8||2||16||14||8||2||171||130
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="11"|Newcastle United
||rowspan="11"|Premier League||31||25||3||1||1||1||4||1||40||28
|-
|1997–98||17||2||6||5||0||0||colspan="2"|–||23||7
|-
|1998–99||30||14||6||5||2||1||2||1||40||21
|-
|1999–2000||37||23||6||5||1||0||6||2||50||30
|-
|2000–01||19||5||0||0||4||2||colspan="2"|–||23||7
|-
|2001–02||37||23||5||2||4||2||colspan="2"|–||46||27
|-
|2002–03||35||17||1||1||0||0||12||7||48||25
|-
|2003–04||37||22||2||0||1||0||11||6||51||28
|-
|2004–05||28||7||4||1||1||0||9||11||42||19
|-
|2005–06||32||10||3||1||2||1||4||2||41||14
|-
|Total||303||148||36||21||16||7||48||30||404||206
559||283||58||27||50||32||56||32||733||379
|1992||6||2
|-
|1993||1||0
|-
|1994||6||3
|-
|1995||8||0
|-
|1996||9||8
|-
|1997||5||3
|-
|1998||11||6
|-
|1999||10||6
|-
|2000||7||2
|-
!Total||63||30
|}
Source
Blackburn Rovers
Newcastle United
England
Held jointly with Andrew Cole.
Held jointly with Cristiano Ronaldo
.
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(born 13 August 1970) is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
and for the England national team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. He is widely considered as one of England's best ever strikers, being both Newcastle's and the Premier League's record goalscorer.
Having retired as a player in 2006, Shearer now works as a television pundit for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Toward the end of his playing career, Shearer worked towards gaining the UEFA Pro Licence, and expressed a desire to eventually become a manager
Manager (association football)
In association football, a manager is responsible for running a football club or a national team. The manager of a professional club is responsible directly to the club president. The position of manager is almost exclusively used in British football...
. In 2009 he briefly left his BBC role to become Newcastle United's manager in the last eight games of their 2008–09 season, in an unsuccessful attempt to save them from relegation.
A native of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, Shearer made his professional debut with English top-flight club Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in 1988
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
, scoring a hat-trick in the process. During several years on the south coast, he became known for his classic style of play, strength and goalscoring ability; he soon received an international call-up along with a transfer to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
in 1992. Shearer established himself as a player in northern England; he became a regular in the England squad, and his 34-goal tally helped Blackburn secure the Premier League title in 1994–95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995. The 1995–96 season saw Shearer make his first Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
appearances and finish as the top scorer in the Premier League with 31 goals. He was also top scorer at Euro 1996 with England, scoring five goals, and in the 1996–97 Premier League, with 25 goals.
A world-record £15 million move to his boyhood heroes, Newcastle United, followed the Euro '96 tournament, and Shearer spent the remainder of his career with the club. While he would never win a major trophy at Newcastle, Shearer won runners-up medals in the Premier League and FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
with Newcastle, and a second PFA Player of the Year award. After being named England's captain in 1996 and Newcastle's captain in 1999, he retired from international football following Euro 2000, having amassed 63 appearances and 30 goals for his country.
He scored 283 league goals in his career, including a record 260 in the Premier League, and a total of more than 300 in all competitions.
As well as his media work, he has raised substantial amounts of money for various national and local charities
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, both within and outside of sports. Shearer is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, a Freeman
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
of Northumbria
Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. It is a member of the University Alliance.- History :...
and Newcastle Universities.
Early years
Shearer was born in GosforthGosforth
Gosforth is an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom, to the north of the city centre. Gosforth constituted an urban district from 1895 to 1974, when it became part of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne. It has a population of 23,620...
, Newcastle in 1970 to working-class parents Alan and Anne Shearer. His father, a sheet-metal worker, encouraged a keen Shearer to play football in his youth, and the young player continued with the sport as he progressed through school. He was educated at Gosforth Central Middle School
Gosforth Central Middle School
Gosforth Central Middle School is a middle school in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Students typically transfer to Gosforth High School. The school is in the East Gosforth electoral ward.- History :...
and Gosforth High School
Gosforth High School
Gosforth Academy is an English secondary school in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. As well as having a sixth form department it is a specialist Language College...
. Growing up playing on the streets of his hometown, he originally played in midfield
Midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in...
because "it meant [he] could get more involved in the games." Shearer captained his school team and helped a Newcastle City Schools team win a seven-a-side tournament at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
, before joining the amateur Wallsend Boys Club
Wallsend Boys Club
Wallsend Boys Club is an English youth football club based in Wallsend, North Tyneside. The club is well-known for producing professional footballers, with 65 players from the club having gone on to play professionally.-History:...
as a teenager. It was while playing for the Wallsend club that he was spotted by Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
's scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
, Jack Hixon
Jack Hixon
Jack Hixon was an English football talent scout.A familiar face at football games across the North East for decades, Hixon played a major part in furthering the careers of many footballers from the region....
, which resulted in Shearer spending his summers training with the club's youth team, a time he would later refer to as "the making of me". Shearer had successful trials for First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
clubs West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
and Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, before being offered a youth contract with Southampton in April 1986.
Southampton (1986–1992)
Shearer was promoted to the first team after spending two years with the youth squad. He made his professional debut for SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
on 26 March 1988, coming on as a substitute
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
in a First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
fixture at Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, before prompting national headlines in his full debut at The Dell two weeks later. He scored a hat-trick, helping the team to a 4–2 victory against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, thus becoming the youngest player — at 17 years, 240 days — to score a hat-trick in the top division, breaking Jimmy Greaves
Jimmy Greaves
James Peter 'Jimmy' Greaves is an English former football player, England's third highest international goalscorer, the highest goalscorer in the history of Tottenham Hotspur football club, the highest goalscorer in the history of English top flight football and more recently a television pundit -...
' 30 year–old record. Shearer ended the 1987–88 season with three goals in five games, and was rewarded with his first professional contract.
Despite this auspicious start to his career, Shearer was only eased into the first team gradually and made just ten goalless appearances for the club the following season
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
. Throughout his career Shearer was recognised for his strength, which, during his time at Southampton, enabled him to retain the ball and provide opportunities for team mates. Playing as a lone striker between wide men, Rod Wallace
Rod Wallace
Rodney Seymour "Rod" Wallace is a retired English footballer.Wallace played predominantly as a striker or part of an attacking forward line. He started his career at Southampton in 1988 playing 128 league games scoring 45 goals. This form earned him a transfer to Leeds where he won the first...
and Matt Le Tissier, Shearer scored three goals in 26 appearances in the 1989–90 season, and in the next, four goals in 36 games. His performances in the centre of the Saints attack were soon recognised by the fans, who voted him their Player of the Year for 1991
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
. His partnership with fellow striker Matt Le Tissier would eventually pave the way to international success.
In the summer of 1991, Shearer was a member of the England national under-21 football squad
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
in an international tournament in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, France. Shearer was the star of the tournament where he scored seven goals in four games. It was during the 1991–92 season that Shearer rose to national prominence. 13 goals in 41 appearances for the Saints led to an England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
call-up; he scored on his debut, and was strongly linked in the press with a summer move to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. A possible move for Shearer was being mentioned in the media during late autumn of 1991, but he rejected talk of a transfer and vowed to see out the season with Southampton.
During the summer of 1992 Southampton's manager, Ian Branfoot
Ian Branfoot
Ian Grant Branfoot is an English former footballer and manager.He played as a defender, and after starting at Gateshead joined Sheffield Wednesday, making his Football League debut in 1965. After 42 senior appearances for the club he left in 1969-70 for Doncaster Rovers...
, became "the most popular manager in English football", as he took telephone calls from clubs "trying to bargain with players they don't want plus cash". Although Branfoot accepted that a sale was inevitable, he claimed that "whatever happens, we are in the driving seat". Eventually, Shearer was sold to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
for a fee of £3.6 million, with David Speedie
David Speedie
David Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
reluctantly moving to The Dell as part of the deal. Despite Branfoot's claim to be "in the driving seat", Saints failed to include a "sell-on clause" in the contract. In his four years in the Southampton first team, Shearer made a total of 158 appearances in all competitions, scoring 43 goals.
Blackburn Rovers (1992–1996)
Despite making just one goalless appearance as England failed to progress past the Euro 1992 group stages that summer, Shearer was soon subject to a British transfer record-breaking £3.3million bid from Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. Although there was also interest from Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, Blackburn benefactor Jack Walker
Jack Walker
Jack Walker was a British industrialist and businessman, from Blackburn, Lancashire. Walker invested tens of millions of pounds in Blackburn Rovers football club after amassing a personal fortune of £600 million...
's millions were enough to prise the striker from the Saints, and Shearer moved north to Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...
in the summer of 1992.
His first season with Blackburn was mixed — he missed half of it through injury after snapping his right anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in a match against Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in December 1992, but scored 16 goals in the 21 games in which he did feature. Shearer also became a regular in the England team this season and scored his second international goal; it came in a 4–0 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
qualifier win over Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
in November. The season ended sourly, however, as Shearer was forced to miss some games due to injury and England's World Cup qualification chances were hit by a run of poor form.
Returning to fitness for the 1993–94 season, he scored 31 goals from 40 games as Blackburn finished runners-up in the Premier League. His performances for the club led to him being named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year for that season. On the international scene, England had failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup finals, but Shearer added three more goals to his international tally before embarking on his most successful domestic season as a player to date.
The arrival of Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...
for the 1994–95 season established a strong attacking partnership at Blackburn. Shearer's league-record 34 goals, coupled with Sutton's 15, helped the Lancashire club take the Premier League title from holders Manchester United on the final day of the season, and the duo gained the nickname "the SAS" (Shearer And Sutton). After being asked by the press how he planned to celebrate winning the title, Shearer replied, by "creosoting the fence". Shearer also had his first taste of European football in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
that season, and scored in the second leg as Blackburn went out in the first round, losing to Trelleborgs FF
Trelleborgs FF
Trelleborgs FF, or simply Trelleborg, is a Swedish football club located in Trelleborg. The club, formed 6 December 1926, will during the season of 2012 play in the second highest Swedish league, Superettan...
of Sweden. His efforts for the club led to Shearer being awarded the PFA Players' Player of the Year
PFA Players' Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English football...
for 1995.
Although the club could not retain the title the following year
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
, Shearer again ended the (now 38-game) season as Premier League top scorer, with 31 goals in 35 games, as Blackburn finished seventh in the league. The previous season's first-place finish also saw the club enter the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. Shearer's only goal in six full Champions League games was a penalty in a 4–1 victory against Rosenborg in the final fixture and Blackburn finished third in their group, failing to progress to the next stage. Shearer's international strike rate had also dried up, with no goals in the twelve matches leading up to Euro 96
1996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
. He missed the final three games of the season for his club due to injury, but recovered in time to play in England's UEFA European Championship campaign.
Newcastle United (1996–2006)
After Euro 96, Manchester United again sought to sign Shearer, and entered the battle for his signature. Shearer stated he came close to signing for the club after extended talks with United manager Alex Ferguson. Eventually both Manchester United and Newcastle United agreed fees with Blackburn Rovers and Shearer was all set to move to Manchester United but then at the last second Kevin Keegan requested one last audience with Shearer and persuaded him that his future lay at St. James Park. On 30 July 1996, for a world transfer record-breaking £15 million Shearer joined his hometown club and league runners-up Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, managed by his hero Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
.
Shearer made his league debut away at Everton, on 17 August 1996, and maintained his form during the rest of the season, finishing as Premier League top-scorer for the third consecutive season with 25 goals in 31 Premier League games, as well as winning another PFA Player of the Year accolade, despite a groin injury forcing him to miss seven matches. Perhaps his best performance of the season came on 2 February 1997 when Newcastle went into the final 15 minutes of the game 3-1 down at home to Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in the league, only for Shearer to win them the game 4-3 by scoring a late hat-trick.
However, the league title still eluded the club, who finished second in the league for a consecutive year, with Keegan walking out mid-way through the season.
Another injury problem; this time an ankle ligament injury sustained in a pre-season match at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, restricted Shearer to just two goals in 17 games in the 1997–98 season. His injury was reflected in the club's form, and Newcastle finished just 13th in the League. However, United (now managed by Shearer's old boss at Blackburn, Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
) had a good run in the FA Cup; Shearer scored the winning goal in a semi final victory over Sheffield United as the team reached the final. The team were unable to get on the scoresheet at Wembley, and lost the game 2–0 to Arsenal.
An incident during a game against Leicester City in the league saw Shearer charged with misconduct by the FA, with media sources claiming that video footage showed him intentionally kicking Neil Lennon
Neil Lennon
Neil Francis Lennon is a former footballer from Northern Ireland. He is the current manager and former captain of Celtic....
in the head following a challenge. The referee of the game took no action against Shearer, and he was then cleared of all charges by the FA, with Lennon giving evidence in the player's defence. Former Football Association chief Graham Kelly
Graham Kelly (football)
Graham Kelly is an English football administrator. He was Secretary of the Football League and Chief executive of the Football Association from 1989 to 1998....
, who brought the charges against the player, later claimed in his autobiography that Shearer had threatened to withdraw himself from the 1998 World Cup
1998 World Cup
1998 World Cup may refer to:*1998 IAAF World Cup*1998 Men's Hockey World Cup*1998 Women's Hockey World Cup*1998 FIFA World Cup*1998 Alpine Skiing World Cup...
squad if the charges were upheld; a claim strenuously denied by Shearer.
An almost injury-free season helped Shearer improve on his previous year's tally in 1998–99, the striker converting 14 goals in 30 league games, but Newcastle finished 13th again, with Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
having replaced Kenny Dalglish just after the season got underway.
He also helped Newcastle to a second consecutive FA Cup final and qualification for the following season's UEFA Cup, but they once again lost; this time 2–0 to Treble
The Treble
The term treble or Treble is used in association football to refer to a team winning three trophies in a single season. Honours usually considered to contribute to a treble are the top-tier domestic league competition, domestic cup competitions, and continental tournaments; although this depends to...
-chasing Manchester United.
Further managerial changes betrayed another lacklustre season in 1999–2000 as unpopular Ruud Gullit resigned to be replaced by the 66-year-old Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
. The former's dismissal followed his decision to leave Shearer out of the starting lineup for the club's 2–1 defeat to arch-rivals Sunderland. Despite Gullit giving Shearer the captain's armband, reports of a rift between club captain and manager were rife, Gullit's decision proved deeply unpopular with fans and his departure capped a dismal start to the season. The animosity between Shearer and Gullit was later confirmed by the latter, who reported telling the striker that he was "...the most overrated player I have ever seen." Even with Robson in charge, the club struggled to progress beyond mid-table, although Shearer missed only one league game and notched up 23 goals. Newcastle did reach the FA Cup semi finals, but a third consecutive final was beyond them as they were beaten by Chelsea. This season also saw Shearer sent off for the first time in his career, in the opening match against Aston Villa, after referee Uriah Rennie
Uriah Rennie
Uriah D. Rennie is a retired English football referee.-Career:He began refereeing in 1979 in local leagues, then operated in the Northern Premier League until 1994, at which time he was appointed to the Football League List of referees.He was given his first Premiership appointment on 23 August...
showed him a second yellow card for excessive use of his elbows.
Ironically, Robson had tried to sign Shearer for Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in 1997, making a bid of £20million which would have seen Shearer break the world's transfer fee record for the second time in 12 months. However, then Newcastle manager Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
rejected the offer.
Shearer suffered an injury-hit and frustrating season in 2000–01, having retired from international football after the UEFA Euro 2000 tournament in order to focus on club football. He managed only five goals in 19 games in the league. 2001–02 was much better though; Shearer bagged 23 goals in 37 league games as Newcastle finished fourth—their highest standing since 1997—meaning they would qualify for the following season's Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
competition. One of the most memorable incidents of the season saw Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
sent off after a confrontation with Shearer during Newcastle's 4–3 win over the Red Devils in September 2001. Shearer also saw red for the second time in his career this season, after allegedly elbowing an opposition player in a match against Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
. The card was subsequently rescinded by referee Andy D'Urso
Andy D'Urso
Andrew Paul D'Urso is an English football referee in the Football League. D'Urso is based in Billericay, Essex and is a member of the Barking & Dagenham Referees Society.-Career:...
after reviewing video replays after the game.
The 2002–03 season saw Shearer and Newcastle make their return to the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. Newcastle lost their first three matches in the opening group stage, but Shearer's goal against Dynamo Kiev, coupled with further wins against Juventus and Feyenoord saw the club progress to the second group stage. Shearer's hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
and Brace against Inter in the second group stage helped him reach a total of seven Champions League goals, along with his 17 in 35 games in the league, and a total of 25 for the season as the team again improved to finish in third place in the Premier League.
After this, Newcastle would have one more chance to progress in the Champions League in early 2003, but Shearer was one of those who failed to score as the team were eliminated in a penalty shootout by Partizan Belgrade
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
in the third qualifying round. United progressed well in that season's UEFA Cup and Shearer's six goals helped the club reach the semi-finals, where they were beaten by eventual runners up Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
. Domestically he also had a good season, with 22 goals in 37 appearances, however could not prevent the club dropping out of the Champions League places to finish in fifth, qualifying once again for the UEFA Cup.
Announcing that this would be his final season before retirement, Shearer's form in 2004–05 was patchy; alongside new signing Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Stephan Kluivert is a former Dutch footballer, currently head coach of the youth side of FC Twente. He played as a striker for AFC Ajax, A.C. Milan, FC Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia CF, PSV Eindhoven, and Lille OSC. Kluivert played for the Dutch national team from 1994 to 2004. He...
, he scored only seven goals in his 28 games as the club finished the season in 14th place. The club fared better in the cup competitions, however, eventually losing out to Sporting in the Uefa Cup quarter-finals and Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals. Shearer scored a hattrick in the first round win against Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin, and ended the season with a haul of 11 European goals, in addition to his one goal in domestic cups.
The summer of 2005 saw Shearer reverse his decision to retire after persuasion from then-manager Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
. He decided to continue playing in a player-coach capacity until the end of the following season. and he returned for one more season in 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
. This last season saw him break Jackie Milburn
Jackie Milburn
John Edward Thompson 'Jackie' Milburn, , also known to fans as Wor Jackie and 'the first World Wor' in reference to his global fame, was a football player for Newcastle United and England...
's 49-year-old record of 200 goals for Newcastle United (not including his 38 World War II Wartime League
Wartime League
The Wartime League was a football league competition held in England during World War II, which replaced the suspended Football League. The exclusion of the FA Cup in these years saw the creation of the Football League War Cup.-History:...
goals) when he netted his 201st strike in a home Premier League fixture against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on 4 February 2006, becoming the club's highest-ever league and cup competition goalscorer with 206 goals altogether. On 17 April 2006, with three games remaining in his final season as a player, Shearer suffered a tear to the medial collateral ligament
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
in his left knee after a collision during the 4–1 win at Sunderland in which he scored his 206th goal in what was his 395th appearance for the club. The injury caused him to miss those final three games, effectively bringing forward his retirement. Shearer finished his final season with 10 goals in 32 league games.
Tribute and testimonial
In tribute to Shearer's contribution to Newcastle United over more than ten years, the club erected a large banner of Shearer on the outside of the cantilever superstructure of the Gallowgate End of St James' ParkSt James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
. The banner measured 25 metres (82 ft) high by 32 metres (105 ft) wide, covering almost half of the Gallowgate End, aptly placed above the club bar
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, Shearer's, opened in his honour in 2005. The banner depicted Shearer as the "Gallowgate Giant", with one arm aloft in his signature goal celebration, with the message "Thanks for 10 great years", and was featured in the media coverage reflecting on his career at the club, with the banner being displayed from 19 April 2006 until 11 May 2006, the day of his testimonial match. The banner could be seen across the city and as far away as Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
across the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
, standing taller than the iconic local landmark, the Angel of the North
Angel of the North
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture, designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead,formerly County Durham, England.It is a steel sculpture of an angel, standing tall, with wings measuring across...
.
Shearer was awarded a testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
by the club, against Scottish-side Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
. All proceeds of the match went to charitable causes. Because of the injury he sustained three games earlier at Sunderland, Shearer was unable to play in the whole match; however he kicked-off the game and came off the bench to score a penalty, winning the game 3–2. The match was a sell-out, and saw Shearer perform a lap of honour at the end with his family, with his young son notably covering his ears due to the volume of noise produced by the crowd in tribute.
International career
Shearer's international career began in 1990 when he was handed a callup to the England under-21England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
squad under Dave Sexton
Dave Sexton
David "Dave" Sexton OBE is an English former football manager and player.-Playing career:Son of former professional boxer Archie Sexton, he started his playing career with West Ham United in 1948. Playing mainly at inside-forward, he would finish his career with time at Luton Town, Leyton Orient,...
. During his time with the squad, he scored 13 times in 11 games; a record return which is still unbeaten. The striker's goals at this level, coupled with his club form, meant he was soon promoted to the senior squad by coach Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (football manager)
Graham Taylor OBE is a football pundit, ex-football manager, and a former player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the...
. Marking his debut in the 2–0 win against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in February 1992 with a goal, he made his only appearance for the England B
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
team a month later. Due to replace Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
, who retired from international action after Euro 92, in the England attack, Shearer played only intermittently in the qualifying campaign for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
due to injury and the team failed to reach the competition finals.
Euro 96
1996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
was a more positive experience for both Shearer and England. With England not required to qualify as hosts, Shearer had not scored in 12 games in the 21 months prior, and even his overall goalscoring record for England did not look too impressive so far; five goals in 23 games.
However, he found the net in the 22nd minute of the first game, against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
. Scoring once in the following game against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and twice in a 4–1 win over the Netherlands, Shearer helped England to progress to the next stage in front of their own fans in Wembley.
In the quarter finals, England were outplayed by Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
but got through to a penalty shootout
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
after a goalless draw. Shearer scored the first England penalty, while the Spaniards failed to score from two of theirs, sending England into the semi-final against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. Shearer headed England into the lead after three minutes, but the Germans quickly equalised and the match went to penalties again. This time, Germany won from the spot; although Shearer scored, his team-mate Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate in Crawley, West Sussex is a retired English footballer and ex-manager. He is known as the "Penalty Misser of '96." He served as manager of Middlesbrough from June 2006, until he was dismissed in October 2009...
missed his kick and England were eliminated. Shearer's five goals made him the competition's top scorer, and together with team mates David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
and Steve McManaman
Steve McManaman
Steven McManaman is a retired English footballer who played as a midfielder, winger and playmaker. Having spent his playing career at two of European football's most successful clubs of the 20th century, Liverpool and Real Madrid, as well as a spell at Manchester City, McManaman is the most...
, was listed in the official UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
team of the tournament.
The new England manager Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
appointed Shearer squad captain for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
qualifier against Moldova
Moldova national football team
The Moldova national football team represents Moldova in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Moldova, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chişinău and their head coach is Gavril Balint...
on 1 September 1996, and the player held onto the captaincy after scoring once in that match and twice in the following game against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
. He scored a total of five goals in England's successful qualification campaign for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
; adding strikes against Georgia and away to Poland to his tally. Shearer was sidelined for much of the 1997–98 season, but recovered to play in the World Cup finals. With Michael Owen
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
replacing Teddy Sheringham
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester...
as Shearer's strike partner, Shearer's return saw him score England's first goal of the tournament, in a 2–0 win over Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
, his only goal in the three group matches. England faced long-time rivals
Argentina and England football rivalry
The Argentina–England football rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of fans...
Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
in the second round. Shearer scored a first-half equaliser from the penalty-spot before David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
was sent off early in the second half. In the final minutes of the game Sol Campbell headed in what could have been the winning goal only for the referee to disallow it due to Shearer having elbowed goalkeeper Carlos Roa. The scores tied 2–2, the game went to penalties. Shearer scored again, but England were eliminated after David Batty
David Batty
David Batty is an English retired professional footballer, who played as a defensive midfielder....
's shot was saved by the Argentina goalkeeper. This defeat ended England's participation in what was to be Shearer's only World Cup tournament.
In September 1999, Shearer scored his only England hat-trick in a Euro 2000
2000 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe....
qualifier against Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
. This helped England reach a play-off against Scotland; England won the game over two legs and in doing so qualified for the European Championships. By now, Shearer was approaching his 30th birthday, and he announced that he intended to retire from international football after the Euro 2000 tournament.
Shearer did not score in England's opening 3–2 defeat against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, but did so as England defeated Germany 1–0 in Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, ensuring that England beat their European neighbours for the first time since the 1966 World Cup Final
1966 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth football World Cup. The match was contested by England and West Germany on 30 July 1966 at Wembley Stadium in London, and had an attendance of 98,000. England won 4–2 after extra time to win the Jules Rimet...
. To remain in the tournament, England only required a draw against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
in the final group match, and Shearer scored a penalty as England went in at half-time 2–1 up, but Romania ultimately won 3–2. England's tournament was over, and so was Shearer's international career. From his 63 caps, he captained the team 34 times and scored thirty goals; joint-fifth in the England all-time goalscorers list with Nat Lofthouse
Nat Lofthouse
Nathaniel "Nat" Lofthouse, OBE was an English professional footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole career...
and Tom Finney
Tom Finney
Sir Thomas Finney, OBE is a former English footballer, famous for his loyalty to his league club, Preston North End, and for his performances in the English national side....
. Shearer remained in international retirement despite speculation of a return during the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championship campaigns, and further declined an offer to be assistant manager to Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
after the 2006 World Cup – a position ultimately filled by Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
.
Style of play
As a player, Shearer was often styled as a classic English centre-forward, owing to his strength, physical stature, heading ability and strong shot. Of his 206 Newcastle goals, 49 were scored with his head. Earlier in his career, especially at Southampton, Shearer played a more creative role; providing chances for fellow strikers, and making runs into space, owing to his early development as a midfielder. Later on in his career, Shearer played a more forward role; his age meant that he lost much of the pace which served him on the south coast. Able to hold the ball up well, he also functioned as a target man, providing balls for other players. Although his strength allowed him to hold on to the ball, his playing style sometimes brought him criticism; most commonly that his play was too physical, and that he used his elbows too aggressively; it was this which contributed to both of his sendings off, although one was later rescinded on appeal.As well as the two red cards, Shearer received 59 yellow cards during his career.
Shearer was noted as a proficient penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
taker for both club and country, and he scored 45 times from the spot for Newcastle, where he was the first-choice taker. He also scored 5 goals from free-kicks for the north-east club.
Coaching
On his retirement as a player Shearer responded to speculation of an immediate move into coaching that he would take some personal time off to "enjoy life" for the next couple of years. He was also quoted as saying that he would eventually like to move into management, "when the time was right" however as of March 2009 he was yet to start the UEFA Pro Licence course,. which is required to be permitted to manage a team in the Premier League and European competition.Reflecting his desire for personal time off to "enjoy life", in July 2006 he turned down a coaching role with England, citing his BBC commitments and desire to be away from the pressure of a job within football. Despite this, Shearer was often linked in the media with managerial or coaching positions at his three former clubs.
Shearer took a brief role in the dugout for his final three games under Glenn Roeder. Shearer had rejected offers of coaching or assistant roles at Newcastle under both the returning Kevin Keegan in February 2008 and Joe Kinnear in November 2008. Shearer had previously had talks about, but never been offered, a full time manager's role at Newcastle until his appointment on 1 April 2009.
Manager – Newcastle United
In a surprise move, late on 1 April 2009, it was announced that Shearer would become the manager of his former club Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
for the remaining eight games of the season
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
, taking over from head coach Chris Hughton
Chris Hughton
Christopher William Gerard "Chris" Hughton is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Birmingham City F.C....
who was in temporary charge while the permanent manager Joe Kinnear
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....
recovered from heart surgery, having taken ill on 7 February. Shearer stated "It's a club I love and I don't want them to go down. I'll do everything I can to stop that."
Shearer was unveiled at a press conference the following day by club managing director Derek Llambias
Derek Llambias
Derek Llambias is an English businessman and long-term associate and friend of both Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew.He is currently managing director of Newcastle United...
. In explaining his acceptance of a managerial role at Newcastle at this time, Shearer stated that he would not have done this for any other club in this position, including his two other previous Premier League clubs. Amid persistent questioning regarding the permanency of the appointment, Llambias announced that Shearer was to be manager for the remaining eight games, and after his recovery, Joe Kinnear would return as manager in the summer. Shearer confirmed that the BBC had agreed to giving him an 8 week sabbatical from his Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
role. Llambias also confirmed Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
had left his executive role at the club and the club had no plans to appoint a replacement, with Shearer stating that "the people that have moved, were moving on anyways, that had nothing to do with me". Wise's presence had previously been speculated as being a blockage to any possible appointment of a manager. Shearer accepted the surprise offer on the Monday on the condition that he could bring in Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...
as his assistant. Shearer also brought in Paul Ferris to oversee club medical, physio and dietary matters. Ferris had previously worked with Shearer in his playing days, and had been at the club for 13 years prior to an earlier departure under then manager Glenn Roeder
Glenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions...
.
His first match in charge ended in a 2–0 defeat against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at St. James' Park. On 11 April, Newcastle earned their first point under Shearer with a 1–1 draw with Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
at the Britannia Stadium
Britannia Stadium
The Britannia Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England and the home of Premier League club Stoke City Football Club. With space for 27,598 spectators . The name is taken from the sponsors of the Stadium the Britannia Co-operative Bank...
with Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll
Andrew Thomas "Andy" Carroll is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team....
scoring a late equalizing goal. After a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and a draw against Portsmouth, his first win for Newcastle came in a 3–1 victory over Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
that lifted Newcastle from the relegation zone.
On the eve of the final day of the season on 24 May, where all fixtures are played simultaneously, Newcastle faced the prospect of being relegated to the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
, along with Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, Middlesbrough and Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, which would end their 16 year unbroken spell in the Premier League. After losing 1–0 at Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
with Damien Duff
Damien Duff
Damien Anthony Duff is an Irish footballer who plays for Premier League team Fulham and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he has participated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012...
scoring an own goal, Newcastle were relegated with local rivals Middlesbrough, joining West Bromwich Albion whose relegation had been confirmed in previous weeks, while Sunderland survived. Shearer's eight games yielded only five points out of a possible twenty-four.
Shearer did not get the manager's job on permanent basis. Chris Hughton
Chris Hughton
Christopher William Gerard "Chris" Hughton is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Birmingham City F.C....
stepped up from the coaching staff to take charge of the quest to get Newcastle back into the Premier League, which was achieved at the first attempt as Newcastle finished top of the Championship in 2009-10.
Despite Newcastle looking like good bets for survival with the halfway point of the 2010-11 Premier League campaign looming, Hughton was sacked on 6 December 2010 and this sparked speculation that Shearer would be re-appointed as manager of the club. However, Newcastle's directors said that they were looking for a manager with more top flight experience and Shearer had ruled himself out of the running. Alan Pardew eventually took over the role.
Post Newcastle United
On 14 June 2011, BBC SportBBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
reported the Shearer had held talks with Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
over the vacant manager job. Shearer commented the next day that, "unfortunately, those talks were unsuccessful on this occasion."
Television career and commercial roles
After his retirement and following guest appearances, Shearer became a regular pundit for the BBC's Match of the DayMatch of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
. He also formed part of the team which covered the 2006 World Cup for the BBC.
Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd
Freddy Shepherd
Freddy Shepherd , is an English businessman and the former chairman of Newcastle United football club.During his time at Newcastle, both as an active assistant to and later replacement of Sir John Hall as chairman for ten years, Shepherd proved an often outspoken and controversial figure, at times...
announced that, after Shearer finished the 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
season as Newcastle's caretaker assistant manager, he would become the club's "Sporting Ambassador" for 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
.
However in September 2008 it was reported that Shearer was sacked from this largely honorary position by the club's owner Mike Ashley
Mike Ashley (businessman)
Michael James Wallace "Mike" Ashley is an English millionaire retail entrepreneur in the sporting goods market...
despite protests from players such as Steven Taylor
Steven Taylor (footballer)
Steven Vincent Taylor is an English footballer, currently playing for Premier League club Newcastle United. He is a versatile central defender who can play at right back or, on rare occasions, at left back...
and Damien Duff
Damien Duff
Damien Anthony Duff is an Irish footballer who plays for Premier League team Fulham and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he has participated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012...
, due to Shearer's criticism of the way in which the club was being run in the wake of the departure of Kevin Keegan. These articles were denied by the club.
Charitable causes
During his playing days, Shearer had been involved with the children's charity the NSPCCNSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
, taking part in the organisation's Full Stop campaign in 1999. Since retiring from football Shearer has also done work for several charities both nationally and in the Newcastle area.
In his testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
, he raised £1.64m benefiting fourteen good causes including £400,000 for the NSPCC and £320,000 for completion of the "Alan Shearer Centre", a respite care facility based in West Denton
West Denton
West Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne is an area in the west part of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It includes West Denton shopping centre and West Denton fire station .Some of the schools in the area include:*West Denton Primary School...
, Newcastle. In October 2006 he became an ambassador for the NSPCC, describing it as "the kick-off to my most important role yet". He has also worked with the charity the Dream Foundation. In 2006, Shearer founded the Alan Shearer Academy Scholarship to aid the development of promising young players in the region.
In 2008, he raised over £300,000 for Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
in a bike ride with fellow Match of the Day presenter Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles is a British television and radio presenter, currently working for ITV Sport presenting football coverage....
, the idea for which emerged in an off the cuff question from cycling fan Chiles to Shearer as to how he kept fit since retirement. Shearer also played and scored twice in Soccer Aid
Soccer Aid
-Event schedule:*22 May 2006 – Start of the television coverage, presented by Ant and Dec. Rest of the World defeats England in a penalty shoot-out*23 May 2006 – Practice match: England 1–0 England Legends...
, a game involving celebrities and former players at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
in September 2008, to raise money for UNICEF.
On 26 July 2009, Shearer played and scored in the Sir Bobby Robson Trophy match
Sir Bobby Robson Trophy match
The Sir Bobby Robson Trophy match was a charity football match played in honour of the former England and Newcastle United manager, Sir Bobby Robson, and in aid of his cancer charity, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. Produced under license by as it was played at St James' Park in Newcastle upon...
, a charity match held at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
in tribute of Sir Bobby Robson and in aid of his cancer charity the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation
Sir Bobby Robson Foundation
The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is a British cancer research charity which raises money to fund the early detection and treatment of cancer, and clinical trials of anti-cancer drugs...
. It proved to be Sir Bobby's last public appearance, as he died five days later. On 15 October 2009 Shearer became the new patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of Sir Bobby's Foundation.
Family
Shearer is married to Lainya, whom he met whilst a Southampton player. The couple lived locally with her parents during Shearer's second year at the south coast club, and were married on 8 June 1991 at St. James' Church in the city. In contrast to the portrayal of some WAGsWAGs
WAGs is an acronym, used particularly by the British tabloid press, to describe the wives and girlfriends of high-profile footballers, originally the England national football team. The term came into common use during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, although it had been used occasionally before that...
(wives and girlfriends) of later players by the media, Lainya is described by Shearer as a quiet and reserved person, not comfortable in the spotlight her husband's fame sometimes brought. The couple have three children. Shearer cited not wanting to uproot his family as a key reason for remaining in England during his career, having had the chance to move to Juventus or Barcelona when leaving Blackburn. Shearer's family accompanied him onto the pitch following the striker's testimonial in May 2006 as he performed a lap of honour at St. James' Park.
Personal honours
On 6 December 2000, Shearer was given Honorary FreedomFreedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, with the citation "in recognition of his role as Captain of Newcastle United Football Club and as former Captain of England which have enhanced the reputation of the City".
Shearer was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
.
On 4 December 2006, Shearer was created a Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
by Northumbria University
Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. It is a member of the University Alliance.- History :...
, at a ceremony at Newcastle City Hall
Newcastle City Hall
Newcastle City Hall is a concert hall, located in Newcastle upon Tyne which has hosted many popular music and classical artists throughout the years, as well as standup and comedy acts. Opened in 1927, the City Hall was built as a part of a development which also included the adjacent City Pool...
, where the University vice-chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
declared that "Throughout his career Alan Shearer has been hard-working, committed, disciplined and focused in his endeavours, fighting back from career-threatening injuries with great determination and courage".
On 1 October 2009, Shearer was commissioned as Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, having been nominated by the Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland
Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland
This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Northumberland. Since 1802, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Northumberland.*Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland*Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland ?–1489...
, the Duchess of Northumberland
Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland
thumb|Portrait by [[Allan Warren]]Ralph George Algernon Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland DL is a British peer. He is the son of Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland and Lady Elizabeth Montagu Douglas Scott....
, Jane Percy, and approved for the position by The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. In this role, Shearer, along with 21 other deputies, is the stand-in for the Duchess when she cannot fulfill her role as The Queen's official representative in the region at official engagements. Deputies must live within 7 miles of the county boundaries
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, and retain their appointment until age 75. The Duchess said of the appointment that "You could not find a more iconic person than Alan, not just for what he has done in football but for all the extra work he tirelessly does for charity and communities. I am delighted he has accepted the role of Deputy Lieutenant because he is a real role model. I have promised him he is not going to have to do too much, but even if it is just one occasion a year he is the perfect choice"
On 7 December 2009 Shearer was made a Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
by Newcastle University. Chancellor Sir Liam Donaldson
Liam Donaldson
Sir Liam Joseph Donaldson was the Chief Medical Officer for England, the 15th occupant of the post since it was established in 1855...
stated "Newcastle United are my team. Alan Shearer is more than just a local legend, he's probably one of the greatest footballers of all time".
Club
|-|1987–88||rowspan="6"|Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
||rowspan="6"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||5||3||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||5||3
|-
|1988–89||10||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||10||0
|-
|1989–90||26||3||3||0||6||2||colspan="2"|–||35||5
|-
|1990–91||36||4||4||2||6||6||colspan="2"|–||48||14
|-
|1991–92||41||13||7||2||6||3||colspan="2"|–||60||21
|-
|Total||118||23||14||4||18||11||0||0||158||43
|-
|1992–93||rowspan="5"|Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||21||16||0||0||5||6||colspan="2"|–||26||22
|-
|1993–94||40||31||4||2||4||1||colspan="2"|–||48||34
|-
|1994–95||42||34||2||0||3||2||2||1||49||37
|-
|1995–96||35||31||2||0||4||5||6||1||48||37
|-
|Total||138||112||8||2||16||14||8||2||171||130
|-
|1996–97||rowspan="11"|Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
||rowspan="11"|Premier League||31||25||3||1||1||1||4||1||40||28
|-
|1997–98||17||2||6||5||0||0||colspan="2"|–||23||7
|-
|1998–99||30||14||6||5||2||1||2||1||40||21
|-
|1999–2000||37||23||6||5||1||0||6||2||50||30
|-
|2000–01||19||5||0||0||4||2||colspan="2"|–||23||7
|-
|2001–02||37||23||5||2||4||2||colspan="2"|–||46||27
|-
|2002–03||35||17||1||1||0||0||12||7||48||25
|-
|2003–04||37||22||2||0||1||0||11||6||51||28
|-
|2004–05||28||7||4||1||1||0||9||11||42||19
|-
|2005–06||32||10||3||1||2||1||4||2||41||14
|-
|Total||303||148||36||21||16||7||48||30||404||206
559||283||58||27||50||32||56||32||733||379
National team
|-|1992||6||2
|-
|1993||1||0
|-
|1994||6||3
|-
|1995||8||0
|-
|1996||9||8
|-
|1997||5||3
|-
|1998||11||6
|-
|1999||10||6
|-
|2000||7||2
|-
!Total||63||30
|}
International goals
- Scores and results list England's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after the player's goal.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 February 1992 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly match | |
| 2 | 18 November 1992 | Wembley Stadium, London | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup Qual. | |
| 3 | 17 May 1994 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly match | |
| 4 | 7 September 1994 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly match | |
| 5 | 7 September 1994 | Wembley Stadium, London | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly match | |
| 6 | 8 June 1996 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 1996 UEFA European Football Championship The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the... |
|
| 7 | 15 June 1996 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 1996 UEFA European Football Championship The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the... |
|
| 8 | 18 June 1996 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 1996 UEFA European Football Championship The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the... |
|
| 9 | 18 June 1996 | Wembley Stadium, London | 3–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 1996 UEFA European Football Championship The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the... |
|
| 10 | 26 June 1996 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1996 1996 UEFA European Football Championship The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the... |
|
| 11 | 1 September 1996 | Stadionul Republican Stadionul Republican Stadionul Republican was a multi-purpose stadium in Chişinău, Moldova. It was used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 8,084 people, was built in 1952 and demolished in 2007.... , Chişinău Chisinau Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc... |
3–0 | 3–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup Qual. | |
| 12 | 9 October 1996 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup Qual. | |
| 13 | 9 October 1996 | Wembley Stadium, London | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup Qual. | |
| 14 | 30 April 1997 | Wembley Stadium, London | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup Qual. | |
| 15 | 31 May 1997 | Stadion Slaski, Chorzów Chorzów Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million... |
1–0 | 2–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup Qual. | |
| 16 | 7 June 1997 | Stade de la Mosson Stade de la Mosson Stade de la Mosson is a football stadium in Montpellier, France. It is the home of Montpellier HSC and has a capacity of 32,900. Formerly a 16,000-seater stadium, it was entirely rebuilt in 1998 to host 6 games of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. It was also used as a venue for group stage matches in the... , Montpellier Montpellier -Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council.... |
1–0 | 1–0 | Tournoi de France Tournoi de France The Tournoi de France was a friendly international football tournament held in Paris and other cities of France in early June of 1997 as a warm-up to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The four national teams participating at the tournament were Brazil, England, hosts France, and Italy... |
|
| 17 | 22 April 1998 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly match | |
| 18 | 22 April 1998 | Wembley Stadium, London | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly match | |
| 19 | 15 June 1998 | Stade Vélodrome Stade Vélodrome The Stade Vélodrome is a football stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1, and was a venue in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. It is the largest club-football ground in France, with a capacity of 60,031 spectators,... , Marseille Marseille Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of... |
1–0 | 2–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
|
| 20 | 30 June 1998 | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is a multi-purpose stadium in Saint-Étienne, France. It is used primarily for football matches, and tournaments such as the 1984 European Football Championship, the Football World Cup 1998 and the Confederations Cup 2003. It is also used for rugby union, and was a venue at... , Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon... |
1–1 | 2–2 | 1998 FIFA World Cup 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
|
| 21 | 5 September 1998 | Råsundastadion, Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... |
1–0 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. 2000 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2000 final tournament, took place throughout 1998 and 1999. Forty-nine teams were divided into nine groups. All teams played against each other, within their groups, in a home-and-away basis. The winner of each group and the best runner-up qualified automatically for... |
|
| 22 | 14 October 1998 | Stade Josy Barthel Stade Josy Barthel Stade Josy Barthel is the national stadium of Luxembourg, home to the Luxembourg national football team and also used for athletics. It is located on route d'Arlon, in Luxembourg City.It was first constructed in 1928 and it was entirely rebuilt in 1990... , Luxembourg City |
2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. 2000 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2000 final tournament, took place throughout 1998 and 1999. Forty-nine teams were divided into nine groups. All teams played against each other, within their groups, in a home-and-away basis. The winner of each group and the best runner-up qualified automatically for... |
|
| 23 | 28 April 1999 | Nepstadion, Budapest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter... |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly match | |
| 24 | 9 June 1999 | Balgarska Armia Stadion Balgarska Armiya Stadium Bulgarian Army Stadium is the club stadium of the Bulgarian football club CSKA Sofia. It is situated in the Borisova Gradina , in the centre of Sofia. The stadium has four sectors and a total of 22,015 seats, of which 2,100 are covered... , Sofia Sofia Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated... |
1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. 2000 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2000 final tournament, took place throughout 1998 and 1999. Forty-nine teams were divided into nine groups. All teams played against each other, within their groups, in a home-and-away basis. The winner of each group and the best runner-up qualified automatically for... |
|
| 25 | 4 September 1999 | Wembley Stadium, London | 1–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. 2000 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2000 final tournament, took place throughout 1998 and 1999. Forty-nine teams were divided into nine groups. All teams played against each other, within their groups, in a home-and-away basis. The winner of each group and the best runner-up qualified automatically for... |
|
| 26 | 4 September 1999 | Wembley Stadium, London | 2–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. 2000 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2000 final tournament, took place throughout 1998 and 1999. Forty-nine teams were divided into nine groups. All teams played against each other, within their groups, in a home-and-away basis. The winner of each group and the best runner-up qualified automatically for... |
|
| 27 | 4 September 1999 | Wembley Stadium, London | 4–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. 2000 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2000 final tournament, took place throughout 1998 and 1999. Forty-nine teams were divided into nine groups. All teams played against each other, within their groups, in a home-and-away basis. The winner of each group and the best runner-up qualified automatically for... |
|
| 28 | 10 October 1999 | Stadium of Light Stadium of Light The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches... , Sunderland |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly match | |
| 29 | 17 June 2000 | Stade du Pays de Charleroi Stade du Pays de Charleroi Stade du Pays de Charleroi is a football stadium in the city of Charleroi, Belgium. It was built for the 2000 UEFA European Championship in Belgium and the Netherlands in replacement of the old stadium known as Mambourg. It is the home of Sporting Charleroi... , Charleroi Charleroi Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as... |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 2000 UEFA European Football Championship The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe.... |
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| 30 | 20 June 2000 | Stade du Pays de Charleroi Stade du Pays de Charleroi Stade du Pays de Charleroi is a football stadium in the city of Charleroi, Belgium. It was built for the 2000 UEFA European Championship in Belgium and the Netherlands in replacement of the old stadium known as Mambourg. It is the home of Sporting Charleroi... , Charleroi Charleroi Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as... |
1–1 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2000 2000 UEFA European Football Championship The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe.... |
Source
Manager
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Newcastle United Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger... |
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1 April 2009 | 24 May 2009 |
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Club and international
SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
- Full Members CupFull Members CupThe Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
Finalist: 1992
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
- Premier League Winner: 1994–95
Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
- Premier League Runner up: 1996–97
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Finalist: 19981998 FA Cup FinalThe 1998 FA Cup Final was contested by Arsenal and Newcastle United at Wembley. Arsenal won 2–0, with goals by Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka to complete their second league and cup double....
, 19991999 FA Cup FinalThe 1999 FA Cup Final took place on 22 May 1999 and was played at the old Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Manchester United and Newcastle United. Manchester United had finished as champions and Newcastle 13th in the Premier League that season. The Final was a one-sided affair, Manchester...
England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
- Tournoi de FranceTournoi de FranceThe Tournoi de France was a friendly international football tournament held in Paris and other cities of France in early June of 1997 as a warm-up to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The four national teams participating at the tournament were Brazil, England, hosts France, and Italy...
: 1997
Individual
- Euro 961996 UEFA European Football ChampionshipThe 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
Golden Boot Winner (five goals) - UEFA Euro 1996 All-Star Team
- UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
top scorer: 2003–04, 2004–05 - Highest-ever Premier League goalscorer: 260 goals
- Premier League Golden BootPremier League Golden BootThe Premier League Golden Boot, known for sponsorship reasons as the Barclays Golden Boot, is an annual English association football award given to the top goalscorer at the end of the Premier League season, the top domestic league competition in club football in England, since its creation in 1992...
: 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97 - Record for most Premier League goals in a 42-game season (1992–93 to 1994–95): 34
- Record for most Premier League goals in a 38-game season (1995 onwards): 31
- Most overall goals scored for Newcastle United: 206
- Most European goals for Newcastle United: 30
- PFA Players' Player of the YearPFA Players' Player of the YearThe Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English football...
: 1995, 1997 - Football Writers' Association Player of the Year: 1994
- Inducted into the English Football Hall of FameEnglish Football Hall of FameThe English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
in 2004. - Named by PelePeléHowever, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
as one of the 125 greatest living footballersFIFA 100The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
. - Premier League 10 Seasons AwardsPremier League 10 Seasons AwardsThe Premier League 10 Seasons Awards were a set of English football awards which marked the first 10 years of competition in the Premier League, the top-level domestic league competition of professional football in England...
(1992–93 to 2001–02)- Domestic and Overall Player of the Decade
- Domestic and Overall Team of the Decade
- Outstanding Contribution to the FA Premier League
- Top Goalscorer (204)
Held jointly with Andrew Cole.
Held jointly with Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
.