Welcome to Last Word on Football’s ‘Returning Players’ series. In this edition, we take a look at Alan Shearer.
Born in Newcastle, Shearer would go on to make 391 appearances for the Magpies and remains, to this day, the highest goalscorer in the Premier League with 260.
But, after making his senior debut at Southampton in 1998, Shearer would have to wait eight years before donning the black and white striped shirt.
Returning Players – Alan Shearer
First Spell at Newcastle United
Although Alan Shearer never turned out for Newcastle United before joining the club in 1996, the striker could have signed for his boyhood club as a youngster.
Shearer captained his school team and won a seven-a-side tournament held at St James’ Park. He joined the famous Wallsend Boys Club, who had seen the likes of Peter Beardsley, Steve Bruce and, later on, Michael Carrick, all turn out for the club.
During his time at Wallsend, Shearer caught the eye of Southampton scout Jack Hixon, which led to him training with the Saints’ youth team. Despite having trials with Newcastle, along with Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion, Shearer joined the south coast club in 1986.
Teams That Alan Shearer Played for in Between
Shearer made his senior debut two years after joining Southampton in a top-flight tie against Chelsea. His full debut came just two weeks later as the striker netted a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Arsenal at The Dell. As a result, Shearer became the youngest player to score three goals in a top-flight game since Jimmy Greaves 30 years prior. After ending the season with three goals from five games, the young forward was rewarded with his first professional contract.
Despite netting a hat-trick on his full debut, Shearer wasn’t necessarily known for his goalscoring ability in his early days. Despite scoring just seven goals in the next two seasons, he was identified for holding the ball up and providing link-ups and bringing other players into the game.
He was voted the Saints’ Player of the Year in 1991 and won the Toulon Tournament with England U21s, scoring seven goals in four games. Shearer’s 13 goals for Southampton the following season earned him a call up to the senior side.
After scoring on his England debut, Manchester United and Liverpool showed interest in the 21-year-old. However, he was reluctantly sold to Blackburn Rovers for £3.6 million, making him the most expensive player in British football.
In four years, Shearer made a total of 158 appearances in all competitions, scoring 43 goals.
Shearer would then spend a further four years at Blackburn. He missed half of his first season at Ewood Park through injury but ended the campaign with 16 goals from 21 Premier League games.
The following season, Shearer notched a further 31 goals in 40 outings as Blackburn finished second in the Premier League. His performances for the club led to him being named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.
Chris Sutton arrived ahead of the 1994/95 season and it would prove to be the making of one of the fiercest attacking partnerships in the Premier League. While Sutton scored 15 times, Shearer netted an impressive 34 goals as Rovers secured the Premier League title.
Despite a seventh-place finish the following season, Shearer ended the campaign as top scorer with 31 goals in 35 appearances. A hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Coventry City took the England forward to over 100 goals for Blackburn, with his 100th Premier League goal coming on December 30 in a win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite being knocked out of Euro ’96 by Germany at the semi-final stage, Shearer ended that summer’s tournament as the top scorer with five goals.
Return to Newcastle
Despite interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid, Shearer returned home and joined Newcastle United for a world record fee of £15 million.
Managed by Newcastle legend Kevin Keegan, the Magpies had come runners up the season before and were hopeful that the addition of Shearer could boost their title aspirations.
Despite finishing second in the league again, Shearer ended the campaign as the Premier League’s top scorer for the third successive season after netting 25 goals from 31 outings. Three of those goals came against Leicester City, with the Magpies winning 4-3 thanks to a Shearer hat-trick after trailing 3-1 with just 15 minutes remaining.
Injuries hampered the England striker the following season as Newcastle ended the campaign 13th, while Shearer managed just two Premier League goals. Despite the poor league form, Newcastle reached the final of the FA Cup, with Shearer scoring the winning goal in the semi-final against Sheffield United. However, the Magpies would lose 2-0 against Arsenal.
Shearer netted 14 times from 30 league games the following season, while he also replaced Rob Lee as the club’s new captain. Despite another 13th placed finish, Newcastle reached the FA Cup final again, with Shearer netting a brace against Spurs in the semi-final, but ultimately lost 2-0 to Manchester United.
On the opening day of the 1999/00 season, Shearer picked up his first red card in what was his 100th Newcastle appearance. Bobby Robson came into the club as the new manager, having previously tried to sign the striker while at Barcelona, but a £20 million bid was rejected. In Robson’s first game, Shearer netted five times in an 8-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. He ended the season with 23 league goals.
Having now retired from international football after scoring 30 times in 63 England appearances, Shearer struggled with injuries the following season. He netted just five league goals but scored 23 in 37 the following season as Newcastle ended the season in fourth place.
Back in the Champions League, the Magpies lost their first three group games but wins over Dynamo Kyiv, Juventus and Feyenoord meant Newcastle managed to qualify to the knockout stages. A hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen and a brace against Inter Milan saw Shearer notch seven Champions League goals while netting 25 in all competitions as Newcastle finished third in the league.
The following season, following elimination from the Champions League, Shearer scored six times as Newcastle reached the semi-final of the UEFA Cup. In the league, he added 22 more goals but the Magpies finished fifth.
In what was supposed to be his final season, it was one of disappointment. He ended the campaign with just seven Premier League goals as Newcastle finished 14th. The Magpies were knocked out of the UEFA Cup at the quarter-final stage and the FA Cup at the semi-final stage.
But Shearer was persuaded to stay on for one more season. The striker broke Jackie Milburn’s 49-year record of 200 Newcastle goals after netting his 201st goal against Portsmouth. As a result, he became the club’s highest ever league and cup goalscorer.
With just three games of the season remaining, Shearer suffered a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a 4-1 win at rivals Sunderland. Having scored in the game, Shearer ended his playing career with 206 Newcastle goals in what was his 395th Magpies appearance.
While he may not have won anything at Newcastle, returning home for Shearer was more than enough. He could have gone elsewhere and won plenty of silverware, but he wanted to play his football at St James’ Park. To this day, his record of 260 Premier League goals remains unbeaten on top of several other personal accolades he collected while playing in the northeast. Club legend is an understatement.
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