Alan Shearer joined Newcastle same day as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer moved to Manchester United — but who was better signing?
AMIDST worldwide furore, Alan Shearer completed his world-record £15million transfer to hometown club Newcastle 20 years ago — on July 29, 1996.
Whilst, on the same day, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s move to Manchester United was a much quieter affair.
For both strikers it would turn out to be their final career moves.
Shearer spent his final decade on Tyneside, while Solskjaer outlasted him by 16 months.
And both would leave lasting legacies at their clubs.
But how did the pair compare?
Background
Shearer had already established himself as one of the top strikers in England after bursting onto the scene at Southampton.
And ambitious Blackburn beat United to punch when they made him the most expensive player in British football history at £3.6m in 1992.
He netted 34 goals as Rovers won a historic title in 1995 and became the first player hit a century of strikes in the Premier League.
Kevin Keegan convinced Newcastle to make Shearer the first £15m player, breaking the then world record fee of £13.2m, which Barcelona had paid PSV Eindhoven to sign Ronaldo.
Later that year, Shearer would go on to finish third behind the Brazilian and George Weah in the Fifa World Player of the Year standings.
While, in the summer of 1995, Sir Alex Ferguson had allowed iconic striker Mark Hughes to leave without signing a replacement.
Andy Cole and Eric Cantona needed some help and Solskjaer was surely only supposed to be a squad member when he arrived in 1996.
He was one of five signings that summer — alongside Euro 96 hero, Karel Poborsky, Jordi Cruyff, Raymond van der Gouw and Ronny Johnsen.
But he was arguably seen as the least significant.
Goal scoring
Despite playing for a team which only ever finished high enough to achieve qualification for the Champions League on three occasions, Shearer still managed a staggering 148 league goals in his ten years at St James’ Park.
He finished as the Premier League’s leading marksman on three occasions — once while in the North East.
At Newcastle, Shearer scored 20 league goals on four occasions.
All in all, he scored 206 goals for his boyhood club and retired as the Magpies’ all-time leading goal scorer.
Solskjaer, meanwhile, scored on his debut against Blackburn and surprised everyone by scoring 18 times in his maiden campaign in England.
He finished the season as United’s top goal scorer and third in the division — seven behind leader, Shearer.
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The arrivals of Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke and later Ruud van Nistelrooy, Louis Saha and Wayne Rooney meant the Norwegian was always seen as a squad player at Old Trafford.
He earned the nickname ‘Super Sub’ after famously netting FOUR times in the final ten minutes after coming off the bench against Nottingham Forest in 1999.
While, he also had a penchant for late, late goals — including a last gasp goal to knock fierce rivals Liverpool out of the FA Cup.
His undoubted career highlight was the stoppage time winner against Bayern Munich to seal the Champions League trophy and seal the Treble in 1999.
Solskjaer scored 126 goals for United.
Trophies
Shearer famously NEVER won a major honour at Newcastle.
In 1998 and 1999, they were FA Cup runners up against Arsenal and United.
But, in an era where loyalty is often the last consideration for a player when making a move, Shearer can look back and say he won something else.
He gave his all for his hometown club and showed that money can’t buy you everything.
He could have won it all at United, but gave it all up in the futile hope of winning anything with Newcastle — the club of his heart.
And that should be commended.
It was a completely different story for Solskjaer.
After 12 months, he was a title winner.
And three years in, he was a Treble winner.
Solskjaer won six league titles, the FA Cup twice, a Champions League and an Intercontinental Cup.
But who was the better signing overall?
Have you say below.