Alan Shearer was born in Gosforth, Newcastle. At 12, Shearer was captain of his school's football team. During his 1988 league debut, Shearer became the youngest player ever to score a first-class hat-trick. However, Shearer never really made an impact at the Dell. Yet his strong work ethic was renowned - he used to get up before dawn for three-mile runs and practised by himself after training until he had to be dragged away! It is this quality of sheer hard work that has turned Shearer into one of the best footballers today.

He became the only player in English football history to score 30 or more goals in three consecutive seasons, helping Blackburn win their first Premiership title in 81 years in the 1994/95 season. At Euro 96, Shearer became the top scorer with 5 goals in what were some of England's most memorable performances on home soil. After the success of Euro 96, Shearer rejected lucrative offers from other top clubs to fulfil his childhood dream of playing in the black-and-white jersey.

On August 6 1996, when Shearer's return home shattered records worldwide, making him the world's most expensive player. But it was a move made for sentiment and not money as Shearer not only returned to his roots but got to play under idol Kevin Keegan. The move was a crowning glory for Geordies and a remarkable part of English football history as 15,000 people stood in a rainstorm just to watch him wave.

In 1998, Shearer was inducted into the FA Hall of Fame for his 1994/95 season with Blackburn. He also received the England captaincy in 1996, a task which he has carried out with tremendous pride. In fact, Shearer is seen by many to be the perfect embodiment of the nation. He also captained England into France 98.

In a touching move, Newcastle fans crowned him the "Angel of the North" by placing a giant Shearer jersey replica on the 65-ft Tyneside statue before the FA Cup Final. He was awarded the OBE for services to Association Football in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 2001 to go with the Freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne that was bestowed upon him in March.