Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English retired footballer who played as a striker in the English Premier League for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, and for the England national team. He is now a television pundit for the BBC.
A native of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Shearer made his professional debut with English top-flight club Southampton in 1988, scoring a hat-trick in the process. During several years on the south coast, he became known for his strength and goalscoring ability; he soon received an international call-up along with a transfer to Blackburn Rovers in 1992. Shearer established himself as a player in northern England; he became a regular in the England squad, and his 34-goal tally helped Blackburn secure the Premier League title in 1994–95. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995. The 1995–96 season saw Shearer score 31 league goals. That same year, he appeared in both the Champions League group stages with Blackburn and Euro 1996 with England, finishing as the latter tournament's top scorer with five goals.
A world-record £15 million move to his boyhood heroes, Newcastle United, followed, and Shearer spent the remainder of his career with the club. While he would never emulate the success of his time at Blackburn Rovers, Shearer won runners-up medals in the Premier League and FA Cup with Newcastle, and a second PFA Player of the Year award. After being named England's captain in 1996 and Newcastle's captain in 1999, he retired from international football following Euro 2000, having amassed 63 appearances and 30 goals. He is both Newcastle's and the Premier League's record goalscorer and having scored 422 goals for club and country, Shearer leads the scoring records with 260 Premier League goals.
Following his retirement from football, Shearer was linked with managerial positions at his former clubs; however, he currently works in media with the BBC. As well as his media work, he has raised substantial amounts of money for various national and local charities, both within and outside of sports.