Alan Shearer Hoping Erling Haaland Moves Abroad to Preserve Goal Record

Alan Shearer, the Premier League's all-time record goalscorer, has expressed a lighthearted hope that Erling Haaland might move abroad to preserve his remarkable tally.

Shearer, who scored 260 Premier League goals in 14 years with Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, noted that Haaland has already reached 120 goals in just over four seasons with Manchester City. He acknowledged that if Haaland remains in the English top flight, he could eventually surpass the record.

"I'm sure it will be broken one day, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts," Shearer told The Football Interview. "If we can get Haaland out to Real Madrid or somewhere like that in the next couple of years then it should be alright."

Before Haaland, Harry Kane was seen as the most likely successor to Shearer's record. However, Kane's pursuit was halted when he transferred from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich in 2023, leaving him with 213 Premier League goals.

Beyond the goal-scoring record, Shearer also reflected on his playing career, his deep affection for Newcastle, and his brief, ultimately unsuccessful, stint as manager. He recalled his childhood adoration for Kevin Keegan, who inspired him to follow Newcastle United, and the surreal experience of later signing for the club as a player.

"I saw the adulation that he [Keegan] had. He was like the pied piper in Newcastle, everyone followed him everywhere," Shearer said. "I was one of those little kids that went to the training ground, to the ground - and I wanted a piece of that."

Shearer became a club legend, scoring 206 goals in 405 appearances for Newcastle. Even now, he sometimes walks to St James' Park from a friend's pub, wearing a cap and keeping his head down to enjoy the atmosphere as a fan.

Despite retiring as a player two decades ago, Shearer remains a prominent figure in football media. He is a regular pundit on Match of the Day, co-commentates on England games, and is part of The Rest Is Football podcast. This media career path was not always clear, as he considered management before ultimately returning to punditry.

In 2009, Shearer briefly served as interim manager for Newcastle during a desperate relegation battle. The team was ultimately relegated, and Shearer never returned to management. He mentioned having interviews and being offered the manager's job at Cardiff City, but ultimately decided against it.

"Newcastle were were in desperate trouble and I could never say no - we were bottom of the league, fighting for our lives," he recalled of his brief managerial spell. "I should have known that when I signed the contract on April Fool's Day that it wasn't going to work out!"

His current media role often involves long days, travelling from Newcastle to Salford for Match of the Day. He finds himself needing to be at his most energetic for the live broadcast, despite a full day of watching football.

"It is such a long day. For me travelling from Newcastle, it's a probably 19-20 hour day," he said. "What people don't realise is that you're meant to be at your brightest and your liveliest when you go on live at 10:30, whereas if you're watching football all day on the settee, you're ready to nod off at that time."