Alan Shearer, the legendary English striker, has recently shared insights about his potential move to Manchester United in 1996. He held talks with Sir Alex Ferguson, the iconic manager of the club at that time. Despite multiple attempts by Ferguson to sign him during his career, most notably in 1996 when both United and Newcastle were vying for his signature, Shearer chose a different path.
Shearer met with both Sir Alex Ferguson and Kevin Keegan, who was then managing Newcastle before making a decision on his future. This decision was not an easy one as it involved choosing between one of the biggest clubs in football history and his boyhood club.
Alan Shearer, Newcastle United legend, said:
"I got the call from Manchester United. It was really strange because I was meeting Kevin Keegan and Sir Alex on the same day in the same house, and I met Kevin in the morning and Sir Alex in the afternoon. It was actually David Platt's mother-in-law's house. We'd sort of taken over the house because we wanted it all done in secret. I remember Sir Alex coming in the afternoon after the talks going really well in the morning with Kevin, and his first words to me were, 'Am I seeing you first or have you seen Kevin this morning?'
"And I went, 'I spoke to Kevin this morning', and he goes, excuse my language, he went, 'That's me f*****!' Those were his first words to me. But anyway, talks went really, really well, and I thought at one stage I was going to go, and I even went house hunting around Manchester for a day. I got another call off Kevin a few days later saying, 'Can I have another half an hour with you?' And I had half an hour with him, and I just thought, 'What am I waiting for? I've gotta go back home'. And that was it. I rang the missus up because the meeting again with Kevin was in Manchester and I said 'There's going to be a taxi come in half an hour, and you've got to pack me a bag and put it in the taxi and send it to Manchester Airport'. I went and I signed for Newcastle."
Choosing boyhood club over glory
In what came as a surprise to many fans and pundits alike, Shearer decided to sign for Newcastle instead of Manchester United. His love for his boyhood club overpowered the allure of playing under a manager like Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
Following this decision, Shearer spent the rest of his career at Newcastle until he retired from professional football in 2006. During this period he became Premier League's all-time record goalscorer - an achievement that still stands today.
Despite never winning a major trophy with Newcastle during this time - something he might have achieved had he moved to Manchester United - Shearer insists that he does not regret picking them over United. His loyalty towards Newcastle is evident from these statements and shows how much playing for your childhood team can mean more than just silverware. Alan Shearers' transfer meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson remains one of football's most infamous moments due its unexpected outcome which saw him choose loyalty over glory.
