Alan Shearer

The most prolific goalscorer in English Premier League history, Alan Shearer is perfectly placed to offer insights  on what it takes to be a top sportsman. Ask any defender who came up against Alan Shearer in his glory days, and they’ll tell you he was as tough as they come, with a mindset and mentality programmed to win.
Alan Shearer makes a superb after dinner speaker or motivational speaker – not just because he has a genial deadpan Geordie wit and a wealth of entertaining and insightful stories about the game he graced with his brilliant goalscoring skills. It’s because he knows about the hard knocks you have to endure in order to succeed. On TV as one of Match of the Day’s first-choice pundits, his analysis is clear, cogent and compelling for exactly these reasons.
Alan Shearer was born in Newcastle in 1970 but his first club, after being spotted by a scout playing youth football, was Southampton. After making his mark as a striker there, including a goal on his England debut, he was bought by Blackburn, with whom he won the Premier League title in 1995 and was twice winner of the Golden Boot award as the League’s top scorer.
After Blackburn, he could have gone almost anywhere. The archetypal English centre forward – clever, strong and physical with a thunderous shot, a superb header of the ball, and a fearless penalty taker – interest came from many clubs, not least Manchester United and Real Madrid.
A true Geordie, though, Alan Shearer chose his boyhood club, Newcastle United, whom he joined in 1996 for a then world transfer record of £15 million. And if trophies for club or country were in short supply thereafter, his was a glorious career which saw him recognised by fans and fellow players alike as one of the world’s best footballers.
As Shearer the pundit might himself say, judging strikers is a simple business. They’re there to score goals. And in that respect, his record speaks for itself. Playing at the very top level,  against many of the best and toughest defenders in the world, Alan Shearer scored 283 goals for the three clubs he represented, and 30 international goals for England.
His trademark goal celebration, a single arm raised aloft, is immortalised in the statue of Alan Shearer outside Newcastle’s famous St James’s Park stadium. He is a true, living, sporting legend and headline name for anyone looking for a celebrity sports speaker who can add stardust to your event.