‘It hurt’ - Newcastle United legend reflects on heartbreak, pressure & David Beckham incident 28 years on
Alan Shearer will be heading to the World Cup as a pundit but still carries demons from his own time as an England international.
When Alan Shearer, as co-commentator, declared that “pressure is for tyres” following England’s dramatic penalty shoot-out triumph Switzerland in July 2024, he became an instant viral hit. In an age of meme culture, TikTok, reels and shorts, his Gosforth twang provided the perfect backdrop for a wave of online parody.
Perhaps the strangest crossover came when Kamala Harris, then serving as US vice-president, borrowed Shearer’s line for a campaign montage during her failed bid for the top job. Yet Shearer was not merely tossing out a throwaway quip for social media to feast on.
Long before the memes and short-form internet skits, the Newcastle United legend understood the weight of carrying his nation’s expectations. Shearer represented England at three major tournaments, Euro 96, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 - captaining his country at the latter two in France.
Nine goals at major tournaments includes the Golden Boot at Euro 96 and places him third on England’s all-time list. Harry Kane leads the way on 13, having played at two more competitions.
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Alan Shearer relished pressure
Few footballers embraced pressure quite like Shearer. The burden was self-imposed: an insatiable desire to score goals and be the man his team turned to in decisive moments.
As Shearer’s first World Cup loomed in 1998, neither the expectation nor the captain’s armband appeared to faze him. He told the BBC: “The 1998 World Cup, it was incredible to be named England captain. But to then walk out in a World Cup as England captain just felt unbelievably special.
“Everyone looking at me and expecting me to score the goals, I've always really, really enjoyed that. I never really felt any pressure, I guess. Whatever stage of my career, when I was meant to be under pressure, when I moved to Blackburn as Britain's most expensive player, I had to score goals.
“When I moved to Newcastle in 1996 as the world's most expensive player, I was meant to be under pressure and score goals, but I really, really enjoyed it. And I guess when you're named England captain as well, then there's a certain pressure that comes with that. If it was pressure, then it was a nice pressure.”
Alan Shearer heartbreak
But like many before him, his Three Lions story is one filled with near misses and heartache. His only World Cup finals ended in controversy as England infamously crashed out to Argentina.
David Beckham - a future England captain - faced a public backlash after his petulant kick on Diego Simeone. Coupled with Sol Campbell’s dubiously disallowed strike, a raging Shearer berated referee Kim Milton Nielsen at his post-match press conference.
“I guess that was an England captain and an England player,” Shearer reflected 28 years on. “(I was) really frustrated and really hurt at the way we'd gone out against Argentina. We also had to see them celebrating on their coach wildly in the car park afterwards, which hurt.
“By the law of the game, when you flick out and you connect like David did, then technically it's probably a red card. When you jump and you connect with the goalkeeper, then technically it's a free-kick. But at the time, I can still remember being really, really hurt.”
David Beckham sympathy... and special memorabillia!
Shearer also sympathised with Beckham who, as mentioned, became public enemy No.1 as soon as England crashed out. However, the post-match blur fuelled with anger and dismay resulted in the Toon icon receiving a lucrative piece of memorabilia.
“David Beckham's red card, yeah… we knew how hurt he was,” Shearer said. “We knew how angry we all were. Not necessarily at him, there's no hard feelings. It is what it is. We've all done things on a pitch that you look back on and think, ‘Perhaps I shouldn't have done that’.
“But the pain and the hurt that he had to go through was a lot more than what we had to go through. It was way over the top. What he had to go through just wasn't right, it was wrong.
“I've got Simeone's shirt! Don't ask me why because I don't know the answer. Why have I got his shirt? I swapped shirts with him. But I have got his shirt, yes. My son wants to keep hold of it for some reason.”
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