Alan Shearer lived out his dream by playing for Newcastle United, but he also had a soft spot for another Premier League club.
The dream for any Geordie is to wear the Newcastle United number nine and score goals for fun in front of the Gallowgate End.
Alan Shearer managed to make that dream a reality after joining Newcastle from Blackburn Rovers in 1996.
Born and bred in Newcastle, it almost feels ridiculous that Shearer came up in the Southampton youth ranks after starting in the famous Wallsend Boys Club.
Shearer was right under Newcastle’s nose from a young age, but he finally arrived at 25 and smashed 206 goals in just 405 appearances.
Alan Shearer doing punditry at St James' Park ahead of Newcastle United vs Fulham.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Alan Shearer admits soft spot for Liverpool
Shearer’s name was often associated with Manchester United in the 90s, but a move to Old Trafford never materialised.
Playing for Newcastle was more than enough for Shearer, whose legacy at St James’ Park will be tough to match.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Shearer has now been asked to name the one club he wished he had played for in his career.
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Shearer noted that he would probably have chosen Liverpool in that situation, admitting that he visited Anfield to watch an FA Cup game from the Kop as a kid.
Ultimately, Shearer was happy to play for Blackburn and Newcastle, but he had something of a soft spot for the Reds.
“Well, other than this great club, probably Liverpool,” said Shearer.
“I went to the Kop when I was a young boy and watched an FA Cup game, but I was more than happy with my choice being here at Newcastle and Blackburn,” he added.
Shearer saw Alexander Isak force his way to Liverpool over the summer, and he certainly wasn’t prepared to take similar action during his time with the Magpies.
Sir Bobby Robson almost sold Alan Shearer to Liverpool
Shearer may not have wanted to force any kind of move in Isak-like fashion, but Sir Bobby Robson was open to a deal.
Robson was happy to sell Shearer to Liverpool way back in 2004 as Patrick Kluivert arrived from Barcelona.
Former Liverpool assistant manager Phil Thompson was even quoted by The Chronicle as saying that Shearer wanted to join the Reds.
Boss Gerard Houllier was ‘convinced that the deal was done’ according to Thompson, only for Shearer to stay put in the end.
Michael Owen even infamously claimed on social media that Shearer was ‘inches away from signing for Liverpool’ under Robson.
The move to Anfield never materialised, and Shearer’s career ended as it was supposed to – as a Newcastle player.