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Alan Shearer Biography

Chosen by Pele as one of the greatest living football players in 2004, in this article, we want to take a look at his life to see how he turned to be one of the best English footballers of all time.

Since the creation of the Premier League in 1992, he has been the Premier League's top scorer for many years and he is now the 5th highest scorer in the history of the English Premier League. As captain of the national team, he has been just as effective in the English jersey, scoring thirty goals in sixty-three appearances for the Three Lions.

At a time when footballers were frequently changing clubs, Alan Shearer played for only three different teams: Southampton FC, with whom he made a remarkable debut, scoring a hat-trick against Arsenal at the age of just seventeen, Blackburn Rovers, where he earned a reputation as a goalscorer, and finally Newcastle United, where Shearer, a fan of the club since childhood, had always wanted to play. He signed for the club in 1996 despite requests from more renowned foreign clubs and became the club's all-time leading scorer with a total of 206 goals.

In April 2009, he was appointed coach of Newcastle United with the task of saving the club from relegation but failed to do so, finishing eighteenth in the league.

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All You Need to Know About Alan Shearer Biography

His honours list is not very extensive, as he only has one English league title won in 1995 with Blackburn, but he does have three individual honors as top scorer in the English league, won consecutively between 1995 and 1997. After suffering repeated serious injuries, he struggled to regain the level he had achieved in the 1990s, however, he continued his career until 2006.

Alan Shearer Information

In this section of

Alan Shearer biography

, we want to share some general information about him such as

Alan Shearer nationality

, stay tuned!

Alan Shearer Bio

  • Full Name: Alan Shearer

  • Nickname: Smokey

  • Profession: Professional Footballer

Alan Shearer Physical Stats

  • Weight: 79 Kg

  • Height: 1.83 m

  • Eye Color: Blue

  • Hair Color: Blonde

Alan Shearer Football Information

  • Position: Striker

  • Jersey Number: 9

  • Professional Debut: 1988

Alan Shearer Date of Birth and Personal Info

  • Date of Birth: 13 August 1970

  • Birth Place: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

  • Zodiac Sign: Leo

  • Nationality: English

Now stay tuned as we are going to share much information about Alan Shearer biography such as Alan Shearer childhood.

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Alan Shearer Early Life

Alan Shearer was born on 13 August 1971 in Newcastle upon Tyne, more precisely in Gosforth, which is a working-class suburb. His father Alan, a metal worker, motivated him to play football from an early age. He continued to play throughout his school years.

He grew up playing in the local clubs as a midfielder. He soon became captain of his school team, The Newcastle city school, helping them win a youth tournament at St James' Park, before joining the Wallsend Boys as a teenager. It was during this period that he was discovered by

Southampton

scout Jack Hixon, who persuaded him to come and train with the club's youth teams for a summer.

He eventually stayed on and signed his first youth contract in April 1986. Before that, he had had unsuccessful trials at West Bromwich Albion, Manchester City and Newcastle United.

Alan Shearer Profile

Shearer, who was playing for Wallsend Boys Club at the time, had a trial with Newcastle United at the age of 15, in which he presented himself almost exclusively as a goalkeeper. Newcastle turned him down, so he later moved to Southampton FC's youth team; the move from the north-east to the south coast of England was influenced by the fact that numerous young players had chosen the same path.

In 1988, Shearer made his professional debut as a substitute against

Chelsea FC

and scored three goals against

Arsenal FC

a month later. At the age of 17 years and eight months, he broke the record for the youngest player in the English top-flight to score three goals in a game, a record previously held for over 30 years by Jimmy Greaves.

Despite this promising start to his career, Shearer did not make it as a regular for a long time; he played only ten times in the whole of the following season and failed to score. He remained with Southampton FC until 1992 without making the breakthrough, playing a total of 41 times and scoring 13 goals.

In the summer of 1992, Ian Branfoot, general manager of Southampton, decided that Shearer's departure for a more famous club was inevitable. Eventually, the striker was transferred to Blackburn Rovers in exchange for David Speedie, who went the opposite way. His transfer fee was 3.6 million pounds, which was then a record for English football. Shearer played a total of one hundred and fifty-eight matches for Southampton and scored forty-three goals.

Now stay tuned as we are going to share much information about

Alan Shearer biography

and his Blackburn career.

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Blackburn Rovers

In his first season with

Blackburn Rovers

, he missed half of the matches after getting injured in the match against

Leeds United

in December 1992. However, he had a promising first half of the season, scoring sixteen goals in twenty-one matches. The injury was particularly serious as it came at a time when he was earning his place in the national team.

Back on the pitch at the start of the 1993-94 season, Alan Shearer had an outstanding year, scoring 31 goals in 41 league matches against the English league teams. He finished second in the scoring charts behind Newcastle United striker Andy Cole. This performance earned him the award for best player of the year.

The arrival of Chris Sutton at the start of the 1994-95 season, to complement Shearer, gave Blackburn Rovers an attack that was feared throughout the country. The pair were prolific in helping Blackburn win the English league title, with Sutton scoring 15 goals and Shearer scoring a season-high 34, making him the competition's top scorer. On the final day, Blackburn was top of the table but lost to Liverpool.

Manchester United

could then win the title if they won, but only managed a draw against West Ham.

Blackburn became champions and took the two-time title holders Manchester United. Shearer made his European Cup debut that season, but despite a goal from him in the second leg of the match against Swedish side Trelleborgs FF, his team were knocked out in the first round of the UEFA Cup. Shearer was voted best player of the year in 1995.

Although Blackburn failed to retain the league title during the 1995-96 season, Alan Shearer's consistency and goalscoring ability led him to the top scorer award in the Premier League, with a total of thirty-one goals scored. Blackburn finished only a modest seventh in the league. His Champions League team was knocked out in the group stage, while Shearer scored only one goal from a penalty kick in a 4-1 win over

Rosenborg BK

.

Newcastle United

Two of the Premier League's top clubs, Manchester United and Newcastle, had approached Rovers to negotiate a move. At first, Shearer was set to join Manchester United because of his admiration for manager Alex Ferguson, as Alan himself admitted years later in an interview with BBC Sport: "If it wasn't for my love of Newcastle I would have played for Sir Alex. I was so close that I had even found a house in Manchester." However, Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan changed his mind by appealing to his Gosforth origins and an ambitious project in which he would coincide with David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Faustino Asprilla and Rob Lee.

On July 30, 1996, Alan Shearer signed for Newcastle United for £15 million, the most expensive transfer in the world at the time. His new team was challenging for the league title and the striker made a significant contribution, scoring 25 goals in 31 games - top scorer for the fourth year in a row - which would earn him the second PFA Player of the Year Award in 1997, the first for a player to win with two different clubs. His good run contrasted with the club's complicated situation after Keegan resigned and was replaced by Kenny Dalglish, with whom Alan had already worked at Blackburn. Newcastle finished the 1996/97 season in second place.

In 1997/98, Shearer suffered a torn knee ligament in pre-season and his appearances were limited to 17 games, in which he was only able to score 2 goals. Despite the physical problems, he arrived in time for the FA Cup final (0-2 defeat against Arsenal). Two months before this event he was involved in a controversial incident, kicking Neil Lennon in the head in a game against Leicester City. Although Leicester claimed a disciplinary action for misconduct, the Football Association cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Once recovered at the start of the 1998/99 campaign, Shearer returned to his goalscoring form with 14 goals in 30 appearances. From that season onwards, coach Ruud Gullit handed him the captain's armband thanks to the departure of Rob Lee. However, Gullit and Shearer had a bad relationship, which almost led to his departure from St. James' Park. This feud became public at the start of the 1999/2000 season when the Dutchman left him out of the starting eleven for the Tyne-Wear derby against

Sunderland

.

Defeat in that game led to Gullit's sacking and his replacement by veteran Bobby Robson, who put his faith in him again. In Robson's first game, Shearer scored five goals in an 8-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Newcastle also reached two consecutive FA Cup finals, both of which they lost to Arsenal (1998) and Manchester United (1999).

In 2000/01 he could only make 19 appearances and score 5 goals, but in the following season (2001/02) he returned to his usual form with a tally of 23 goals in 37 games as his club finished fourth - their highest position since 1997 - and qualified for the UEFA Champions League. In 2002/03, with Robson on the bench and Shearer as captain, Newcastle United improved on the previous year's performance to finish third. And although his statistics for 2004/05 were worse than at other times (seven goals in 28 games), his team finished fifth and were able to reach the UEFA Cup.

Alan Shearer was planning to retire at the end of the 2004/05 season, at the age of 35, but manager Graeme Souness managed to persuade him to delay his decision for a year, with a player-coach contract until the end of the 2005/06 campaign. On February 4, 2006, Shearer managed to surpass Newcastle United's all-time scoring record of 200 goals set by Jackie Milburn and was able to increase that to 206 goals in 405 games.

His final game came on April 17, 2006, against Sunderland, the day he also scored the last goal of his career; on that day he suffered a torn knee ligament that caused him to miss the final three games of the league.19 On April 17, 2006, he played his last game against Sunderland, the day he also scored the last goal of his career; on that day he suffered a torn knee ligament that caused him to miss the final three games of the season.

In honor of his 10 seasons, in which he became an idol for the St James' Park fans, the club organized a tribute match on May 11, 2006, against

Celtic F.C.

Shearer was unable to play due to injury, but he kicked off and then walked around the pitch in the company of his wife and children.

Now stay tuned as we are going to share much information about Alan Shearer biography and his England career.

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England National Team

In February 1992, Shearer made his debut for England's senior national team against France. As well as his great debut at club level, he also had a great debut at national team in which he scored a goal and England won 2-0 against France.

A month later, he played his only match against England's B team. Announced as Gary Lineker's successor at the forefront of attack, Shearer appeared only intermittently during the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign due to injury. In the end, England failed to qualify for the World Cup in the United States.

In September 1999, Shearer scored his only hat-trick with the national team in a qualifying match against Luxembourg for the 2000 European Championship. This allowed England to make the play-offs against Scotland, which they won. The English thus won their qualification for the final phase of this Euro. As he approached his thirties, the striker announced that he intends to end his international career after this tournament.

In the opening match against

Portugal

, Shearer did not score, but he did in the next match against Germany, allowing his team to beat them for the first time since the 1966 World Cup in official competition. However, a 2-3 defeat against Romania ended the Euro campaign for them. This defeat was the last international match for Alan Shearer.

Of the sixty-three caps he won, Shearer wore the captain's armband thirty-four times and scored thirty goals, joining Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse as the fifth-highest scorers in the history of the national team. There have been many reports of his possible return, particularly for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, but he always refused to do so.

Coaching career

On April 2, 2009, Newcastle United's board of directors officially announced that Alan Shearer will replace Joe Kinnear as the team's coach, as Kinnear is no longer able to take over the role due to health issues. The team's new coach is Alan Shearer. Shearer had eight matches to avoid relegation with his beloved club, who were in the red zone in eighteenth place, two points behind Blackburn Rovers.

On Saturday, April 4, 2009, he sat on the bench for the first time for the league match against Chelsea. Unfortunately for him, his debut wasn't a success as his team lost by a score of 0-2. A week later, they managed to secure a point in the match against

Stoke City

but suffered another defeat at Tottenham eight days later. On May 24, 2009, the Newcastle club was finally relegated following a defeat against Aston Villa.

Now stay tuned as we are going to share much information about

Alan Shearer biography

and his playing style.

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Style of Play

As a player, Alan Shearer has all the characteristics of the typical British forward. His sturdy body gives him solidity, but he is also very skillful with the ball at his feet. He also has a heavy and very powerful shot. Of the 206 goals he has scored for Newcastle United, 49 have been scored with his head, an area of the game in which he is very comfortable.

Earlier in his career, especially when he played for Southampton, Shearer had a more creative role and played more for his teammates. He created space through his multiple crossover runs, like the classic midfielder he was in his younger years. Able to hold the ball well, opposing defenders often focus on him, which allows him to mark his partners and then serve them in the best possible manner.

However, his style of play has at times been the focus of strong criticism. In particular, he has been criticized for using too much of his physique and for playing too aggressively with his shoulders. This is what earned him the only two dismissals in his career. In addition to these two red cards, he also received fifty-nine yellow cards during his career.

Reception

Alan Shearer is widely considered by many critics and fans to be one of the best English strikers of all time, and all of the goals he scored in the English First Division and Premier League and for the

England national team

just proves that.

Goal Celebration

If there is a goal celebration that ever epitomized a footballer player, it surely is Alan Shearer’s goal celebration. It was so simple, after scoring a goal he ran towards the fans while he was raised his arm. The club even built a statue of Alan Shearer doing this goal celebration and installed it in St James’ Park.

Alan Shearer outside Football

After his retirement from playing football, Alan Shearer became a commentator for the TV show Match of the day, broadcast on the English national television channel, the BBC. He also covered the 2006 World Cup for the BBC.

He appeared in the movie “Goal! birth of a prodigy.” Now stay tuned as we are going to share much information about Alan Shearer biography and his personal life.

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Alan Shearer Personal Life

In this section of Alan Shearer biography, we take a look at his personal life and

Alan Shearer life story

, also we will share some information like

Alan Shearer religion

. Stay tuned.

Family, Children and Relationships

After meeting Lainya when he was playing for Southampton, Shearer tied the knot with her. First, the couple lived with their parents, before being married on June 8, 1991, at St James Church. Unlike many wives of professional soccer players, Lainya is described by her husband as a quiet and rather reserved person.

They have three children: two girls named Holly and Chloe, and a boy, the youngest in the family, named Will. One of the reasons Shearer pursued his playing career in England is that he never wanted to upset his family, even though he had the opportunity to sign with Juventus or FC Barcelona when he left for Blackburn Rovers.

Philanthropy

During the best days of his football career, Alan Shearer was involved with the charity NPSCC to help poor children.

From the proceeds of his farewell match, he donated £1.64 million to 14 different charities, of which 400,000 went to the NPSCC and £320,000 to the Alan Shearer Centre, a care facility located in West Denton, Newcastle. In 2006, he became an ambassador for the NPSCC.

He has also been involved with the Dream Foundation. In 2006, the former player founded a football academy bearing his name, which helps to develop promising young footballers.

In 2008, he donated £300,000 to Sport Relief in a bike race with Match of the Day presenter Adrian Chiles. He came up with the idea after a cycling fan asked him how he has spent his days since his playing career ended.

Shearer also plays and scores twice in a charity match for UNICEF at Wembley Stadium with several celebrities.

Legal Issues

During recent years there have been some reports on the media regarding some legal issues of Alan Shearer. In one case, Alan Shearer has sued his former adviser for 9 million pounds with claims that he wasn’t honest with him. In June of 2017, it was announced that the two parties have settled the case.

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Alan Shearer Career Statistics

In this section of Alan Shearer, we want to take a look at his playing and managerial stats on the club and international level. Stay tuned.

Club

Alan Shearer has spent his whole career in England, playing for Southampton Blackburn Rovers and

Newcastle United

. During a 19 years career between 1987 and 2006, he played a total of 734 matches and scored 379 goals for these clubs. Of these goals, he scored 206 for Newcastle, 130 for Blackburn and 43 for Southampton.

International

Between 1992 and 2000, Alan Shearer had a rather short international career, where he played 63 matches for his country and scored 30 goals.

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Managerial

Alan Shearer has only managed Newcastle United for a short period of time in 2009, where in 8 matches his team won just 1, drawn 2 and lost 5 games. His win ratio in the club as a manager was 12.5 percent.

Alan Shearer Honors

Shearer has just won one

English Premier League

during his playing career at club level and has finished 1996 UEFA European Championship with England at third place.

Of his most notable individual titles and honors we can include UEFA European Championship Golden Boot, ESM Team of the Year, FIFA World Player of the Year – Bronze award, Ballon d'Or – Third place, Premier League Golden Boot, PFA Players' Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Year, FIFA 100 and English Football Hall of Fame.


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