Alan Shearer
Birthplace: Gosforth, England (1970)
Height: 6'0"
Striker
(App)(Gls)
1988-1992: Southampton 118 23
1992-1996: Blackburn Rovers 138 112
1996-2006: Newcastle United 303 148
Career: 559 283
International Career: England (63) 30
Alan Shearer started his career at Southampton where he made his full league debut at the Dell playing against Arsenal on the 9th April 1988 at the age 17. During his career he enjoyed successes at both club and international level, becoming one of the most prolific strikers of all time. In total he scored 422 goals for club and country, averaging 25 goals a season for each of his 17 seasons as a player. Shearer currently holds the Premier League goalscoring record with 260 goals. He announced his international retirement following England's exit from Euro 2000 but continued to play for Newcastle United until 2006, when he finally retired from playing.
As a 15-year-old schoolboy at Wallsend Boys club Shearer was rejected by Newcastle, with a legendary trial as goalkeeper (he has admitted he was only in goal for a small part of a full day), and instead signed as an apprentice with Southampton. He made his debut as a substitute against Chelsea on 26 March 1988, before prompting national headlines with his full debut at The Dell a month later, on 9 April 1988, when he scored a hat-trick against Arsenal. At the age of 17 years and 240 days, he broke the record for the youngest player to score a hat-trick in top-flight football, held for more than thirty years by Jimmy Greaves. Shearer ended the 1987–88 season with three goals in five matches.
Despite this auspicious beginning to his career, Shearer was only eased gradually into the first team, making ten goalless appearances for the club the following 1988–89 season. In his early Southampton career his prime asset was his strength, which enabled him to retain the ball and generally lead a line in which others (notably Rod Wallace and Matt Le Tissier) did the scoring. His returns in the 1989–90 season were three goals in 26 games, and in 1990–91 he scored 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 in 1991, despite scoring just four goals in 36 league games.
He did not become a regular goalscorer for Southampton until 1991–92, when he scored thirteen goals in 41 appearances. An England call-up came this season, and he was linked with several leading English clubs, including Manchester United.
Taylor selected Shearer for his squad for the 1992 European Championship finals, but he only featured in one group game - a goalless draw against France - and England failed to progress beyond the group stages of the competition.
However, his ability had been noted by Blackburn Rovers manager Kenny Dalglish who, with vast funds at his disposal from benefactor Jack Walker, offered Southampton £3.3 million for Shearer, which was accepted, and the transfer to Blackburn was completed.
Alex Ferguson had tried to sign Shearer for Manchester United, but the bid was unsuccessful.
Shearer became an England regular the following season, scoring his second goal in a 4–0 win over Turkey in a qualifier for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. His first season with Blackburn was mixed - he missed half of it (and more World Cup qualifiers) through injury, snapping his right Anterior Cruciate ligament against Leeds United on 26 December 1992, but scored sixteen goals in the 21 games in which he did feature. The season ended sourly, however, as Shearer was forced to miss some crucial World Cup qualifiers as England's World Cup qualification chances were hit by a string of disappointing results.
At Blackburn, he scored 31 goals from 40 games in the 1993–94 season, as they finished a close second in the table behind Manchester United. He also won the honour of the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year for that season. England had failed to reach the 1994 World Cup finals at the end of the campaign, but Shearer added three more goals to his England tally before embarking on his most successful domestic season as a player at that time.
The arrival of Chris Sutton for the 1994–95 season established a strong attacking partnership at Blackburn, with the duo acquiring the nickname "the SAS" - Shearer And Sutton. In 42 games, Shearer scored 34 goals, as Blackburn took the Premiership title on the last day of the season. This is the only club honour that Shearer won in his career, though he quickly followed it up with a personal award, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year. Shearer also had his first taste of European football in the UEFA Cup that season, but Blackburn lost in the first round to Trelleborgs of Sweden, Shearer scoring in the second leg.
After Euro 96, Shearer was approached by Manchester United, but Jack Walker insisted that Shearer was not for sale. On 30 July 1996, however, he joined Newcastle United, managed by Shearer's hero Kevin Keegan, who paid £15 million to secure his services, making Shearer the world's most expensive footballer at the time.
In Shearer's first season at Newcastle he scored 25 goals in 31 Premier League games, as well as winning a PFA Player of the Year accolade. He helped Newcastle finished second in the league, despite missing seven league games due to a groin injury, and Keegan walking out on the club halfway through the season, to be succeeded by Kenny Dalglish. Shearer was possibly the last signing by Keegan during The Entertainers era.
Alan Shearer had an amazing career, and he was an outstanding player but one could only assume deep down he must be very disappointed at the lack of major honours someone of Alan Shearer`s class has gained.