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English Football Legends Series

A classic centre forward with power, pace, aerial ability, and a blistering shot, Alan Shearer is the Premier League's all-time record goal-scorer.

Alan Shearer

Clubs: Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United

Position: Forward

Appearances*: 559

Goals*: 283

Honours: Premier League, 1

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* League appearances and goals only

Southampton

Shearer began his professional football career at Southampton, signing in April 1986.

He made his debut on 26 March 1988, coming on as a substitute in a First Division match at Chelsea.

His first start came two weeks later, and he made national headlines by scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Arsenal, becoming the youngest player - at 17 years, 240 days - to score a hat-trick in the top division.

Despite this flying start, the next two seasons were relatively unproductive on the goals front.

He made ten appearances without scoring in 1988/89, and the following season, he managed just three goals in 26 games.

In 1990/91 it was four in 36 games, but his game was about more than just goals. Playing as a lone striker he used his strength to hold the ball up and create chances for others. Saints fans recognised this, and named him their Player of the Year for 1991.

His goal haul improved during the 1991/92 season, 13 in 41 appearances, earning him his first England call-up, scoring on debut.

During the summer of 1992, there was massive interest from other clubs. Shearer was strongly linked with Manchester United, but eventually signed for Blackburn Rovers in a deal worth 3.6 million pounds.

In his four years at the Dell, Alan Shearer had made a total of 158 appearances, scoring 43 goals.

Blackburn Rovers

Shearer's first season at Blackburn was hampered by a cruciate ligament injury, but he still managed 16 goals in the 21 games he played.

Returning to fitness in the 1993/94 season, he scored 31 goals in 40 games, and was named Footballer of the Year, as Blackburn finished runners-up in the Premier League.

The arrival of Chris Sutton from Norwich for the 1994/95 season saw the beginning of the famed 'SAS' strike partnership.

Shearer scored 34 goals and Sutton contributed 15 to help Rovers to the Premier League title.

Shearer also had his first taste of European football that season, but his second-leg goal was not enough to avoid an embarrassing first round UEFA Cup exit to Trelleborgs of Sweden.

He was, however, named PFA Player of the Year for 1995.

The following season saw Blackburn slip from first to seventh, despite Shearer's 31 goals in 35 games.

The club also had an early exit from the Champions League where they failed to progress from the Group Stage. Shearer scored just one Champions League goal, a penalty against Rosenborg in the final fixture.

Shearer's England goals also dried up, he failed to score in twelve matches leading up to Euro 96.

In the summer of 1996, Alex Ferguson again tried to sign Shearer, but Blackburn owner Jack Walker refused to sell him to Manchester United.

That summer, Alan Shearer played for England in Euro'96. He finished as the tournament's top scorer with 5 goals, but England crashed out to Germany on penalties in the semi-final.

Newcastle United

After Euro '96, Alan Shearer moved to his hometown club Newcastle United, signing on 30 July 1996, in a world record 15 million pound transfer.

In September 1996, he was named England captain by new manager Glen Hoddle.

Shearer made his Newcastle debut at Everton on 17 August 1996 and enjoyed another prolific campaign, finishing as Premier League top-scorer for the third consecutive season.

He also picked up another PFA Player of the Year award, but the league title eluded the club. They finished second, with Kevin Keegan resigning as manager mid-way through the campaign.

1997/98 was another injury-hit season. Shearer played just 17 games, scoring twice, and Newcastle finished 13th in the League.

There was better form in the FA Cup where they reached the final, but lost 2-0 to Arsenal.

Shearer was fit enough to lead England at the 1998 World Cup, and scored in the opening match against Tunisia. He was on target again in the first knock-out game, but England went out on penalties to Argentina.

He enjoyed a better season in 1998/99, remaining mostly injury-free and scoring 14 goals in 30 league games.

Ruud Gullit had replaced Kenny Dalglish as manager early in the season, but the Geordies form remained inconsistent. They finished 13th again in the league, but reached a second consecutive FA Cup final, again losing 2-0, this time to Manchester United.

The beginning of the 1999/2000 season was marked by growing tension between Alan Shearer and manager Ruud Gullit, resulting in Gullit's resignation and the appointment of Bobby Robson.

Shearer had a more prolific season, but his 23 goals could not lift Newcastle above their now customary mid-table finish. They again did well in the FA Cup though, reaching the semi-final, where they lost to Chelsea.

2000 brought Alan Shearer's retirement from international football, but it was another frustrating, injury-hit season. He managed just five goals in 19 league games.

There was better form from both club and player in 2001/02. Newcastle finished fourth, helped by Alan Shearer's 23 goals.

The fourth place finish meant the club qualified for the UEFA Champions league, but they had a nightmare start to the 2002/03 European campaign, losing their first three games.

However, consecutive victories against Dynamo Kiev, Juventus and Feyenoord saw the club progress to the second group stage.

Shearer scored 7 Champions league goals that season, including a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen and a brace against Inter Milan.

There were also 17 league goals as Newcastle finished in third place.

Their next Champions League campaign was less successful. They were eliminated in the third qualifying round and dropped to the UEFA Cup.

However, they progressed well in Europe's second-tier competition, Shearer's six goals helping them to the semi-finals, where they lost to a Didier Drogba inspired Marseille.

Domestically Shearer also had a good season, with 22 goals in 37 appearances. Newcastle finished fifth, qualifying them for the UEFA Cup again.

2004 also saw him Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

After announcing that the 2004/05 season would be his last before retirement, Shearer had a patchy campaign, scoring just seven goals in 28 appearances.

Newcastle finished the season in 14th place, but had decent cup runs, advancing to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, and the FA Cup semi-finals.

In the summer of 2005, Alan Shearer changed his mind about retiring and agreed to play on for one more season.

This last season saw him break Jackie Milburn's 49-year-old record of 200 goals for Newcastle United (not including Milburn's 38 wartime League goals).

The record-breaking strike came in a home Premier League fixture against Portsmouth on 4 February 2006.

Alan Shearer's last Newcastle match was the third last game of the season, on 17 April 2006. The striker suffered a tear to a knee ligament during the 4-1 win at Sunderland.

The injury meant he missed the final three games of the season, effectively bringing forward his retirement.

He had scored 206 goals in 395 appearances for Newcastle United.

After Retirement

After retirement Shearer stated that, while he would eventually like to move into management, he wanted first to take time off to "enjoy life".

He went into media, becoming a regular pundit for the BBC's Match of the Day. He also worked as part of the BBC team covering the 2006 World Cup.

On 1 April 2009, with the club in deep relegation trouble, Shearer was surprisingly named as Newcastle United manager for the remaining eight games of the season.

Returning to the club, 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."

However, Shearer's eight games yielded only five points out of a possible twenty-four, and he was unable to save Newcastle from the drop.

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