10 Greatest Newcastle United Players In The Premier League Era
2. Shay Given
Shay Given used to be the first name on the team sheet of Newcastle from the year 1997 to 2009. The Irish goalkeeper held the record for the most international caps as a Newcastle United player in the club’s all-time history. He was also the club’s third all-time most capped player. During his time with the club, he proved his worth as a world-class shot-stopper.
He had a number of dazzling seasons and was an extremely athletic player, capable of some incredible saves. Given was a pivotal player at St. James’ Park during the glory years of Newcastle. He was named Player of The Year 3 times during that time. After 462 games for Newcastle over a span of 12 years, Shay Given joined Manchester City on February 1, 2009.
1. Alan Shearer
Shearer was born in Newcastle. After playing for Southampton and Blackburn, he was signed by Newcastle for that time record fee of £15 million. The English striker was wanted by Real Madrid and Man United at that time, after his heroics in Euro ‘96, but decided to play for his boyhood club. It was a memorable day for the Magpies back in 1996 when Newcastle beat their that time title rivals Manchester United to the signing of the starlet.
He found his good form with the club in the very first season there, by scoring 28 goals in 39 games, forming a lethal partnership with Les Ferdinand. Alan Shearer proved himself to be a great player and a fantastic captain for the club. He was very brave, had a ferocious shot and was also good in the air. He ended up scoring a total of 206 goals in 405 appearances for the club. In his final days, he suffered a medial collateral ligament injury that ultimately caused him to retire in 2006.