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Alan ShearerEuropean Footballer of the Year 1996
Date of Birth: 13.08.1970
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer, an English footballer, was recognized as the third best footballer in Europe in 1996, following Ronaldo and George Weah. Football has always been Shearer's top priority since the start of his career, with everything else coming second. Many stars, such as Gascoigne and Beckham, gain popularity through numerous scandals. Shearer is not one of them. It is no coincidence that there is little written about his personal life in the British press, unlike the "Spice Boy" Beckham. "Shearer is a superstar without the character of a superstar," said Don Howe, the assistant coach of the national team, about the number 9 player of Newcastle.
At the age of 14, Shearer left his hometown Newcastle and went to Southampton to become a professional footballer. It was the only job he wanted to pursue at the time. Shearer did not excel in school, particularly struggling with spoken English. However, he had no interest in pursuing an academic career. He wanted to become a footballer. "Football was everything to me at that time," Shearer recalls.
Shearer made his debut in the English league on April 9, 1988, and it was a phenomenal start. Southampton faced Arsenal, and the 17-year-old Shearer managed to score three goals in that game. "I don't think I realized the magnitude of what I had achieved at that moment," says Shearer. "But the fact remains: I was called up by the club after that and offered my first professional contract. I knew that Newcastle was also interested in me, but I didn't want to go anywhere else." According to Shearer, what stood out the most in the match against Arsenal was the reaction of the fans to his hat-trick. "During the game, I didn't pay attention to the noise from the stands, but when I was substituted, I felt an indescribable feeling. The whole stadium was chanting my name! It was a fantastic feeling."
Shearer made his debut for the England national team in February 1992 in a match against France. However, due to a cruciate ligament injury, he was unable to establish himself in the team at that time.
This did not stop Shearer. He continued to score goals, this time for his new club, Blackburn, becoming the top scorer in the English league three times in a row. In 1996, Shearer gained recognition at the national team level as well. His five goals scored in the European Championship made him the top scorer of the tournament. After its conclusion, Shearer was appointed captain of the national team, the day before the first qualifying match for the 1998 World Cup against Moldova. Glenn Hoddle, the coach at the time, called up Shearer and asked him simply, "Do you want to be the captain, Alan?" "Before he could finish his sentence," Shearer recalls, "I answered him: 'Of course, yes! It is a huge honor for me!'"
The question of who should be the captain of the national team was widely discussed in the British media. Former captain David Platt had already retired, and names like Tony Adams, Stuart Pearce, David Seaman, and Paul Ince were constantly being thrown around in the press. "When Glenn Hoddle called me, I didn't even suspect what he wanted to say. And when he offered me the captain's armband, I was surprised and at the same time very proud. However, Hoddle set one condition," Shearer says. "I'm afraid that the additional responsibility will affect your goal-scoring abilities, and I don't want that to happen. So, I intend to appoint you as captain temporarily, for three games, and then decide whether you should wear the armband permanently!" "When we were singing our national anthem in Moldova," Shearer recalls, "I had goosebumps all over my body...". Only about 15,000 spectators were present in the stadium at the time, but, according to the forward, he will never forget that moment. "Like all teenagers who played football with me in the backyard," Shearer continues, "I, of course, dreamed of playing for the England national team. But the idea that I would one day become its captain never even crossed my mind. And I was ready to savor every moment of my tenure as captain, even if it ended after those three games."
In the first half of the match against Moldova, despite their efforts, the English team couldn't score. Shearer himself tried his best, but could only hit the crossbar. However, in the second half, the forward overcame his nervousness and scored a goal against Moldova. In the end, England won 3-0. "Although the football we played that day was far from ideal," Shearer recalls, "it was a good start for Glenn Hoddle as the new national team coach and for me as its new captain."
In the next game against Poland, which took place at a packed Wembley Stadium, Shearer showed his true colors. With two sniper-like shots, he managed to turn the tide of the match, leading his team to victory with a score of 2-1.
"The appointment as captain of the national team did not change my attitude towards football," Shearer says. "I planned to continue doing the same things I did before - scoring goals." "I don't like shouting and waving my fists in the dressing room like Tony Adams and Stuart Pearce," Shearer continues. "As captain, my task is to guide my teammates at certain moments, to encourage them. However, everyone has their own character, and Adams and Pearce will behave the same way, whether they are captains or not."
On July 26, 1997, another pivotal moment occurred in Shearer's career. In a preseason friendly match against Chelsea, the forward strained his ankle on the wet pitch and suffered a severe injury. Photos of Shearer being carried off the field on a stretcher with a grimace of pain on his face were featured in most English newspapers. The initial diagnosis was discouraging - according to doctors' forecasts, Shearer would not return to full fitness for at least eight months. He had minimal time to regain optimal form for the World Cup in France.
"It was the toughest period of my career," Shearer recounts. "Nevertheless, I tried to push away all negative thoughts, convincing myself that professional footballers have injuries, some more serious than others." In the first few weeks after the injury, Shearer could hardly move without assistance. After two months, the cast was removed, but he still felt acute pain in his leg. "I vividly remember the words of Newcastle's doctor, Rob Gregory. 'It will be very difficult for you, Alan,' he said. 'Don't expect miracles and hope for an easy recovery. So you must endure!'" And Shearer endured. He spent six hours a day training on machines, gradually increasing the intensity. "Every time after that, I came home feeling completely shattered. But it was the price I had to pay to return to the field as soon as possible."
And Shearer did return! His comeback took place on January 17 in a match against Bolton - two months earlier than initially predicted by doctors. "Are you sure you're fully ready to play?" Newcastle's manager Kenny Dalglish asked Shearer the day before the game. "Yes, I'm sure," came the reply. "Then I'm including you in the squad," Dalglish said. "It's hard to describe my feelings at that moment when I found myself back in the familiar dressing room and saw my beloved shirt with the number 9," Shearer recalls. "In that moment, I knew I had returned!" Most English fans idolize Shearer, but there are also those who literally hate him. These are the fans of Manchester United.
Shearer could have ended up in that club twice, but both times he chose other teams - first Blackburn, and then Newcastle. Manchester United fans have never forgiven him for that, and they always try to insult him whenever they can. Shearer once shared a story that left a lasting impression on him.
"It happened during a match between England and Ireland. Due to clashes between fans in the stands, the game was interrupted, and the referee decided to take the teams off the field. We were sitting in the tunnel waiting for the official announcement of what would happen next. At that time, paramedics carried a young Irish fan past us, who was in a very serious condition. The guy looked about 18 years old, no older. He looked in our direction and, recognizing me, muttered through his teeth, 'I hate you, Shearer.' I thought the guy was in severe pain. But when one of us approached him and asked how he was feeling, he abruptly replied, 'Don't touch me. I'm a Manchester United fan!'"
WHY HE IS LEAVING...
The upcoming European Championship will be Shearer's last major tournament at the national team level. One and a half months ago, the forward announced that he will leave the main team after its conclusion.
According to Shearer, he had been considering leaving the national team for a whole year. "It was very difficult for me to make this decision," the striker says. "I pondered it a lot and constantly sought advice from my close ones. However, I am confident that this is the right step."
Shearer stated that he simply sees the situation and his own capabilities objectively. "I prefer to make my own decision rather than wait for someone to tell me in a couple of years that I am struggling and show me the door." Personal reasons have also influenced Shearer's decision. The captain of the England national team's wife is expecting their third child, who is due to be born in September, and Shearer stated that he intends to spend more time with his family. "I have two young daughters, aged five and seven," Shearer says. "And family is so important!"
Shearer is a natural goal scorer. "I would compare him to the Brazilian Careca. Knowing that you have to compete against such a forward, it's unlikely you will fall asleep the night before the game," said Alessandro Costacurta, a defender for Italian club Milan, about Shearer. However, the goal that Shearer remembers most vividly was not scored by him, but by his strike partner at Newcastle, Les Ferdinand.
It was a goal against Manchester United, which Newcastle defeated 5-0. "I crossed the ball from almost the corner flag to Les," Shearer recalls. "And he, jumping over all the Manchester defenders, headed the ball into the net. In a moment of triumph, I raised my hands and ran towards the fans. The fans were celebrating with me, but they didn't know that my joy was mixed with pain. As soon as I made that cross, I felt a sharp pain in my leg. But I immediately tried to convince myself that my injury was nothing and not worth paying attention to. I continued to play. I kept scoring regularly. And soon, I scored my first hat-trick for Newcastle - in a game against Leicester. I scored one of the goals from a free-kick. I remember that shot, even now. It came with excruciating pain, but it was worth it." However, the moment when Shearer was recognized as the third best footballer in Europe in 1996, following Ronaldo and George Weah, is not something the striker likes to remember. It's no wonder that he even refused to attend the banquet that took place after the ceremony. "For me, there is only one place - first," the top scorer says. "Let others be satisfied with second and third places!"
