Alan Shearer was all about the goals.
You don't become the Premier League's record goalscorer without having that selfish streak in you, something the Englishman would be the first to admit was part of his DNA as a player.
That drive never leaves a player. Regardless of the scoreline, they will do everything they can to add to their personal tally as long as they are on the pitch.
Alan Shearer was a prime example of that, as this story will tell you.
Speaking on The Peter Crouch Podcast, the former Newcastle forward recalled his reaction when a young academy player asked if he could take a penalty when the team were 7-0 up in a game. Despite Shearer already having four goals to his name in the game, he told him where to go.
We played a game with Newcastle and it was Sir Bobby Robson’s first ever home game with Newcastle, and we beat Sheffield Wednesday 8-0. The score was 7-0 and a young kid came on as a sub, Paul Robinson.
I had scored four goals, the score was 7-0, and he was a centre-forward. We were given a penalty and I went to pick the ball up and he came up to me and said: ‘can I have it Al?’
You can imagine what I said. I said ‘fuck off, go on” and he looked at me like he was saying ‘you’ve scored four goals, we are winning 7-0, and you’re telling me to fuck off?’
That was the only time in my life that somebody walked up to me and asked ‘can I have it’.
He was a young kid, I actually saw him and had a pint around six or seven months ago.
I brought it up, I said ‘do you remember that time when you foolishly came up to me and asked to take the penalty for your first ever goal?’
A bit harsh perhaps, but there was never any chance that Shearer was going to give up the opportunity to score five goals in a game.
Paul Robinson would never score a league goal for Newcastle, leaving the club in 2000 and going on to have a journeyman career in the lower leagues.
This might have been his only chance to score for the club, but you suspect that Shearer doesn't regret a thing.
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