Alan Shearer's staggering net worth, rarely seen wife and how he made Gary Lineker cry
Alan Shearer, the legendary Newcastle United and England striker, has been the cornerstone of Amazon Prime's commentary team for this season's Champions League, which commenced this week.
The Premier League's highest-ever goalscorer - and big pal of Leicester City legend Gary Lineker - has established a solid reputation since retiring from his illustrious playing career. He has been lauded for his role as a pundit and analyst on Match of the Day, where he works along side Lineker, as well as his transition into the commentary box.
Such is the bond between Geordie and Lineker that the Foxes hero wept when Shearer backed him after he was pulled off air in a row with the BBC on his anti-government Tweets.
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Here's an in-depth look at the life Shearer has built for himself and his family away from the public eye...
Astounding net worth
Shearer has amassed a substantial personal fortune both during and since his playing days. The 54-year-old set a transfer record when he moved to Newcastle United for £15m from Blackburn Rovers in 1996, having already won the league with his previous club and made a name for himself with Southampton, reports Wales Online.
His media work with the BBC, Al-Jazeera and now Amazon - along with podcast The Rest is Football, with Lineker and Micah Richards - has helped him maintain his status as one of football's most recognisable faces. His income from the BBC alone earns him £380,000.
However, Shearer's BBC salary saw a significant reduction this year, with the pundit losing £65,000 from his 2022/23 earnings of £445,000. Nevertheless, his net worth is estimated to be a staggering £40m, according to Goal.
Shearer's wife avoids spotlight
The football legend is happily married to Lainya, his long-term love whom he met during his time at Southampton. The couple got hitched in 1991 after living with her parents on the south coast while Shearer was in his second year with the club.
Together, they have three children. Alan has shared an anecdote about the anger directed at him by Lainya when he made the move from Southampton to Blackburn in 1992.
At the time, Lainya was pregnant with their first child, Chloe, and she did not hold back in expressing her feelings about Shearer's transfer to the north-west.
On an episode of the Rest of Football, Shearer reminisced about his time at Blackburn and shared a humorous memory of his wife's reaction to their new home: "When she was eight months pregnant she looked at me in the car and said, 'What the f*** have you done? '".
It's well-known that Lainya shies away from the public eye, which often focuses on her husband, preferring to maintain her privacy.
However, Lainya's name came up in a conversation with Ruud Gullit during a recent interview. Gullit, who had a tense relationship with Shearer while managing Newcastle, especially towards the end of his tenure, mentioned her.
Ruud Gullit left his role at Newcastle after a memorable stint that included leading the team to an FA Cup final. However, it was his decision to not play Alan Shearer in a derby loss against Sunderland in August 1999 that marked the beginning of the end of his tenure.
Shearer himself later revealed that if Newcastle had won that game, he might have exited the club.
The strains between Gullit and Shearer seemed irreparable then, but time evidently heals as the duo later united for punditry duties for ITV's coverage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they showed no animosity. Reflecting on this, Gullit shared with the Sun: "The funny thing is that during the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, we were working together for ITV. We ended up at a party and we were just laughing together and drinking."
He added, "Alan's wife came over and said, 'I cannot believe it... in our house, you were the No 1 guy we hated and now you two are laughing and joking with each other'. We'd met a lot of times in TV studios but that night we really got on so well. Sometimes you cannot agree but you can still respect one another."
High-profile family
Shearer isn't the only on in his family with a public profile. His children - Will, Chloe and Hollie - have each garnered significant attention on social media.
Will hosts 16,000 followers, Chloe has 18,000 and Hollie impressively commands a fan base of 81,000, which is further boosted by her presence on TikTok to the tune of 335,000, where she shares her musical talents.
Chloe, who works in talent management and has been involved with Soccer Aid, is part of a family where sporting connections are strong.
Shearer's daughters have certainly followed in their father's footsteps when it comes to forging relationships within the sports world. Hollie is currently dating England rugby star Joe Marchant, 28, who plays for Stade Francais in France.
Since Hollie and Joe started their relationship, Shearer has noticed his daughter's growing interest in rugby over football. He humorously commented on her choice of partner, stating: "I'm just glad it's not a footballer."
Chloe, on the other hand, is in a relationship with former scrum-half Micky Young. The 35 year old rugby player had two stints with Newcastle Falcons before moving to Gloucester last year.
The Falcons have recently announced they will be holding a testimonial year for Young, which includes a special football dinner - featuring none other than Alan Shearer himself.
Backing an old pal
Gary Lineker has revealed how he wept when football pals including Shearer publically backed him when he was pulled off air in a row with the BBC.
The Match of the Day host was suspended after he refused to apologise for a tweet in which he compared language around the then-governments’ small boats policy to that used in Nazi Germany.
Colleagues Shearer and Ian Wright walked out in solidarity with him. Lineker later told the podcast Ruthie’s Table 4: “I just found it incredible. I shed a tear in the back of a black taxi when Ian and Alan supported me, and everyone followed suit.”
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