Does Alan Shearer get enough respect?The retired striker, best known by younger football fans as a pundit on Match of the Day, scored a staggering 260 Premier League goals during his career with Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.He also netted 23 goals with Southampton in the old First Division before the Premier League was formed in 1992, which people often fail to remember.Only two other players in history has managed to score more than 200 Premier League goals so far: Tottenham's Harry Kane and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who finished on 208 goals - 52 behind Shearer’s record.Harry Kane TottenhamAndy Cole is fourth on the all-time list with 187 followed by Sergio Aguero on 184.Would Shearer have scored more goals if he’d agreed to join Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United in the 1990s? Possibly. He certainly would have won more trophies, you’d imagine, although he did manage to win the Premier League title with Blackburn In 1995.That Shearer scored so many Premier League goals with Blackburn and Newcastle is testament to just how good he was.He could score all types of goals: headers, volleys, penalties, close-range finishes, long-range screamers, and he could even take free-kicks.shearer Newcastle goal

The greatest indirect free-kick in Premier League history

In fact, Shearer might be responsible for the greatest indirect free-kick we’ve seen during the Premier League era.

Back in the early 2000s, Newcastle were awarded an indirect free-kick when West Brom defender Igor Balis passed the ball back to his goalkeeper.

The referee concluded the pass was intended and a free-kick was awarded to Newcastle just outside the six-yard box.

Shearer free-kick

West Brom’s entire team sat back on the goal-line, limiting Shearer’s options.

But Nolberto Solano had a plan - and it worked to perfection.

Solano told Shearer that he’d dummy the ball first before laying it off. West Brom’s players could see their conversation but paid no attention to it.

Solano and shEARER

They were forced to retreat after prematurely rushing off their line before Shearer rifled the ball past the crowd of bodies and into the net.

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Watch the clip here:

West Brom’s players didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory, with several of them turning their backs, but who can blame them?

Shearer’s right foot was an absolute cannon.

And take nothing away from either the free-kick or the strike. Both were executed perfectly.

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