Alan Shearer

A modern-day legend of the game, Alan Shearer CBE DL is a former professional footballer and manger, who now works as a football analyst for BBC Sport and is a regular member of the Match of the Day team. He most famously played as a striker for Newcastle United and England, and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in the history of the Premier League. He is the Premier League’s record goalscorer, with 260 goals, and was one of the first two players to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021. Throughout his career he has been heavily involved in charity work, helping such organisations as NSPCC, Sport Relief, and UNICEF. In 2006, he founded the Alan Shearer Academy Scholarship to aid the development of promising young players in the North East. He was awarded an OBE in 2001, and a CBE in 2016 for charitable services to the community.

Born and raised in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Shearer was prolific at football as a boy and played for the amateur Wallsend Boys Club as a teenager. He was spotted by a Southampton scout and was signed to their Youth Academy in 1986. He was promoted to the first team and made his professional debut in 1988, making headlines soon after when he became the youngest player, aged 17 years and 240 days, to score a hat-trick in the top division. Over four years in the first team, he made a total of 158 appearances, scoring 43 goals. Then in 1992, he was subject to an English transfer record-breaking £3.6 million bid by Blackburn Rovers. He helped Rovers claim the Premier League title in 1994-95 and went on to score 112 goals in the league, winning the Premier League Golden Boot twice in a row. In the summer of 1996 he joined his hometown club Newcastle United for a then record fee of £15 million. He led The Magpies to two FA Cup finals, and eventually became the club’s all-time top scorer. He retired from the game at the end of the 2005-06 season. On the international stage, Shearer earned 63 caps for England and scored 30 goals, representing them at the 1996 and 2000 UEFA Euros and at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In 2009 was appointed caretaker manager of Newcastle United towards the end of the season. However, he couldn’t stop them from being relegated and after eight games left the club. Since retiring as a player, he has forged a hugely successful career as a football pundit for the BBC and BT Sport.

Shearer regularly connects with his millions of followers and fans through Instagram, and Twitter, posting pictures and videos about his life around football, broadcasting, and fundraising.