Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer, OBE (born Newcastle upon Tyne, England, August 13 1970) is a successful and widely-admired English professional footballer, currently in the twilight of his career at hometown club Newcastle United.

Later years at Newcastle (2000-2005)

At Newcastle, Shearer continued to score regularly, but the club have not won a trophy during his time at the club. He was appointed an OBE for services to Association Football in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 2001, an honour to go with the Freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne that was bestowed upon him in March. He was also awarded the Barclaycard Merit Award on in 2002 for reaching the landmark of scoring 200 Premiership goals. Shearer had hit his 200th Premiership goal against Charlton at St. James' Park on 20 April 2002.

Related Topics:
2002 - Charlton

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Shearer announced that he would retire at the end of the 2005 season, though he later relented on this decision and he continued playing for another year in a player-coach role. He is currently working on his UEFA coaching qualifications, which are required to manage a team in European competitions. Since his international retirement, he has resisted calls from both the England coaching staff and the media for his return to the side, largely because his presence as a strong centre forward with goalscoring capability has yet to be found in any of his successors.

Related Topics:
2005 - UEFA - Coaching - Europe - Media

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He married Lainya, whom he met on a blind date in Southampton, when they were both 20 years old, and they have two daughters and a son. He is currently combining his playing duties with occasional punditry for the BBC and Sky Sports, ready for his expected career in the media when leaving the game. That said, he is also regularly touted as a future manager of Newcastle United.

Related Topics:
Blind date - Southampton - BBC - Sky Sports

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Though he is seen as a dour, unexciting figure in interviews (an image enhanced by the infamous "creosote" comment and which he satirised in a series of ads for McDonald's), Shearer retains the respect and admiration of his peers, with many claiming he will be as successful in a media career as his England predecessor Gary Lineker proved to be.

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