BY RIZWAN REHMAT
DOHA: Former England captain Alan Shearer feels striker Wayne Rooney could overtake the Newcastle United legend as the leading goal-scorer in the English Premier League (EPL).
Speaking at a charity dinner organised by Guardian Wealth Management (GWM) at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Doha, Shearer said Rooney needed to stay fit to become the highest goal-scorer in EPL.
Shearer, who 260 scored goals for Blackburn and Newcastle United, said: “Rooney is one of our top players. I think if there is one guy who could go on and break my record, it could be him. He will definitely break the England record but if he stays fit for the next 4-5 years, he could take my record.”
But Shearer added: “But I hope he doesn’t (laughs).”
A question and answer session with Shearer:
Question: Which modern-day player you would like to form a partnership with?
Shearer: (Wayne) Rooney, without a doubt. I am not sure I would welcome the idea of playing with Cristiano Ronaldo because he never ever passes it to you (laughs). He always shoots. Rooney has everything. If you want to have a scrap with him, he will fight with you. He can score all types of goals.
Question: Do you look back in thing you could have achieved more with Man United?
Shearer: I don’t know. Would have I been any happier? I am not sure. As I said I have lived my dream. I have been one hell of a lucky guy. I would have played football anyway. It is just that I got paid to do it. I am a lucky guy. I am getting paid to watch football now (laughs). I must have done something right. As I said earlier that if I had to make the choices (on my career) I would have made the exact same decisions.
Question: Is there any time that you ever thought you retired too early from international football?
Shearer: Yeah. It goes back to what I said earlier. I always wanted to go at the top but I had three career threatening injuries that slowed me down. I ruptured ankle in 1992. It was an injury which sort of finished you. I did my tendon in my left knee and that took a yard (of pace) off me. You know your body more than anyone else and I knew that I couldn’t keep up the standards that I wanted to for England and Newcastle. I was the captain of England and I retired a month before I was 30. I had to do it.
Question: You’re the highest scorer in EPL history. Who could break your record?
Shearer: Rooney is one of our top players. Without a doubt he must be the first name on any manager’s team list. I think if there is one guy who could go on and break my record, it could be him. He will definitely break the England record but if he stays fit for the next 4-5 years, he could take my record. But I hope he doesn’t (laughs).
Question: Who was your most difficult opponent?
Shearer: Tony Adams without a doubt. I think we haven’t got guys like him. He loved defending. He was great at it. We would go at each other but shake hands at the end of the game. But that was a good thing. There was respect. He was a good battler.
Question: What was it like playing Euro 96?
Answer: I think Euro 96 was the best ever experience I had, to be honest. There were games against Holland, Scotland, Spain and then Germany when we got beaten in the semifinals on penalties. Being the captain, it was the biggest thing that I could ever experience. I was a strong little lad. It was never my dream to play for England never ever did I think I would captain England for five years was just experience. In the year 1996, I worked with the best ever manager - Terry Venables. I hadn’t scored for two or three years for England and the whole of the country was asking why I was going to start the tournament. Terry pulled me aside. He said whatever happens between now and the event, you will start the first match against Switzerland. I grew an inch or two because of the confidence that he showed in me. He had belief in me. I always said judge me when it mattered. Thankfully I managed to score in the first game and go on to finish the tournament as the top-scorer. But yeah we should have won it. We would have won it if we were any good at penalties (laughs). It was a given that it if we had won the semifinal, we would have won the tournament.
Question: You did have a problem with Craig Bellamy, didn’t you?
Shearer: I never had a problem with Bellamy, He had a problem with me (laughs). He thought he was better than he was. And I told him what he was and he didn’t like that (laughs).
Question: There is a street named after you in Oman. Did you know about that?
Shearer: Yes, someone sent me a picture about it. Alan Shearer Street, yeah. (The actual name of the street is Al Inshirah Street).
Question: What about Newcastle United?
Shearer: Well, we are where we are and we are never going to finish in the top-10. So you can’t expect to challenge (the top teams) if you are going to sell your best players. What will happen is one day we might be relegated again. It has happened before. We finished 10th or 12th because that’s where we are at football. This club is lucky that it has 50,000 or 52,000 faithful followers.
Question: Who was the most over-rated player in your time?
Shearer: Good question ... (pauses). One of my favourite teams were Leeds United and I was devastated when they were relegated (laughs).
Question: What role would you like to play for Qatar 2022 bearing in mind they have won the Gulf Cup?
Shearer: First of all I haven’t been asked to play any role for Qatar 2022. So the offer is open. I was part of the England delegation (in 2010). We went there with (Prime Minister) David Camareon and David Beckham. And we were convinced that we would win. When it was announced that when Russia got 2018 and Qatar the 2022 World Cup, we were amazed. I have to say the only issue is whether it (the World Cup) could be played in June and July. I have been coming here for 6-7 years and I am pretty certain it would be magnificent whenever they do it. THE PENINSULA
