Alan Shearer began his Premier League career with two spectacular goals in Blackburn Rovers’ 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace, immediately signalling the arrival of the competition’s greatest goalscorer.
For supporters aged over 30, it may be difficult to believe that an entire generation has grown up without watching Shearer play. Yet even fans who never saw the Newcastle United striker in his prime know his name remains inseparable from the Premier League, largely because of the record 260 goals he scored in the competition.
Shearer remains a familiar presence in the Match Of The Day studio, laughing along when Harry Kane moves closer to his record or trying not to look too pleased when television viewers are shown another of his extraordinary finishes. His status, however, is not really in doubt. Shearer was, and remains, the defining Premier League goalscorer.
He played more than twice as many seasons in England’s top division as Thierry Henry. Didier Drogba scored more than 20 league goals just once; Shearer managed it seven times.
Wayne Rooney, his closest challenger, made his Premier League debut at 16 and spent 13 seasons with dominant force Manchester United. Even so, he finished 52 goals behind Shearer.
The record does not include the 23 league goals Shearer scored for Southampton before the Premier League began in 1992. He had announced himself as a teenager in 1988 by scoring a hat-trick in his first start, while earning £35 a week.
By the time the competition was rebranded, Shearer was 21 and moving towards his peak. He made his England debut in February 1992, scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 win over France. While Leeds United secured the final First Division title, Shearer produced the finest season of his young career to that point, scoring 13 league goals and 21 in all competitions for Southampton.
His form earned him a British record transfer worth £3.6m to newly promoted Blackburn Rovers. The club were being heavily supported by local businessman Jack Walker, long before Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour transformed the financial landscape of English football.
Shearer was already a major star as the new Premier League era began. His profile made him the ideal figure for BSkyB’s extensive campaign to promote a more polished, subscription-based television product, helping football move away from the hooliganism associated with the sport during Margaret Thatcher’s time as prime minister.
That reputation was reinforced on the first Saturday of the new competition, when nine matches not being shown on television were played.
Brian Deane scored the first goal of the Premier League era as Sheffield United beat Manchester United 2-1. Defending champions Leeds United opened their campaign with a narrow 2-1 victory over Wimbledon, while Arsenal surrendered a two-goal advantage and lost 4-2 at home to Norwich City.
There was another six-goal match at Selhurst Park, where Blackburn’s new leading man made his competitive debut for the club. Shearer scored twice as Blackburn drew 3-3 with Crystal Palace.
Those were the first two of his eventual 260 Premier League goals, and both were contenders for Goal of the Month.
His opening strike came after strike partner Mike Newell won the initial ball. Shearer brought it down on his chest before meeting it on the half-volley and driving the shot directly at Palace goalkeeper Nigel Martyn. The effort, however, carried such force that it went straight through him.
Bang.
Three minutes earlier, Gareth Southgate had restored Palace’s lead after Stuart Ripley and Mark Bright had scored midway through the first half.
Shearer quickly cancelled out the future England team-mate’s goal, then produced an even more stylish finish to put the visitors ahead.
“Buoyed by that goal, no doubt…” was the line in the commentary as Shearer collected possession on the left. He cut inside, left John Humphrey behind and used Eric Young as a screen before curling the ball beyond the reach of the sprawling Martyn and into the far corner.
The second effort came from around five yards further out than the first. Where the opening goal was all power, the next was about precision and composure.
Blackburn had come from behind twice and finally taken the lead in the 81st minute. After 26 years away from the top flight, the club appeared set for a memorable opening-day victory, with Shearer’s second-half performance at the centre of it.
Palace substitute Simon Osborn had other ideas, scoring an equaliser in the final minute to secure a point. Blackburn had nevertheless made an immediate impression and shown they would not be overawed by the Premier League.
“I’ll keep my feet on the ground and hopefully I’ll score more than I miss,” Shearer told Sky Sports after his outstanding debut. “The pressure’s going to be on a little bit but hopefully I’ve got big enough shoulders to cope with that.
“I never put that price tag on myself, I can only go out and play to the best of my ability. If someone wants to pay that amount of money for me, then it’s out of my hands. I’ll only go out and play as Alan Shearer and hopefully that’s good enough.”
It proved to be more than good enough.
Three days later, Shearer scored the only goal in a 1-0 home win over Arsenal. He then produced 12 goals in his first 11 appearances as Blackburn moved to the top of the table in early October.
His progress was interrupted in December when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Without him, Kenny Dalglish’s team slipped away from the title race and eventually finished fourth.
Shearer returned from the serious injury to reach even greater heights. Between 1993 and 1996, he scored 96 Premier League goals in three seasons, including a career-best 34 during Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 campaign.
He spent only four years at Ewood Park but became Blackburn’s third-highest scorer and their leading marksman in top-flight football. He later surpassed Jackie Milburn’s Newcastle United record to become his hometown club’s greatest goalscorer, scoring 206 times in 405 appearances.
The scale of Shearer’s career was soon clear. He had signalled it from the very beginning, with two outrageous finishes on the first day of the Premier League.
