Here in the land of the world's most accomplished league, where football's stars form galaxies not lonely planets, the people seem united in their respect for one Englishman, one centre-forward valued for his goals, his selfless endeavour, his physical and mental power, writes Henry Winter.
The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 22 January 1997

For the tifosi, who bring an almost medieval feel to the modern sporting pageant that is Serie A, Alan Shearer is a lion, thoroughly deserving of his FIFA honour of third place as world player of the year behind the celebrated George Weah, of AC Milan, and Barcelona's young Brazilian phenomenon, Ronaldo.

Juventus have cast covetous glances towards Newcastle. These ambitious Agnellis waste their time. Although still behind on technical and tactical merit, the pound-swollen Premiership now matches the Italian lire. The people of Tyneside have lost Shearer once; they could not countenance a second parting.

Shearer is the one Englishman an Italian supporter would mortgage his Vespa to see. Paul Ince has his devotees, particularly among players, but lacks the attacking edge craved by the world of calcio. Paul Gascoigne came, belched and went. Only David Platt made a lasting impression in the 1990s. The likes of David Beckham, David Seaman, Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman have their aficionados, but not the tidal swell of admiration that exists for Shearer.

How they would love Shearer to grace Serie A. How they fear him as Italy prepare for their February visit to Wembley. How they would agree passionately with yesterday's eulogy about Shearer from Glenn Hoddle, who tonight assesses England's next opponents in action against Northern Ireland, here in Palermo.

"The lad has got absolutely everything," England's coach said of his captain. "England have had many great strikers over the years who have excelled in certain parts of the game but there is no chink at all in Shearer's armour, even to the point of magnificent mental strength.

"He works so hard. He's not afraid to put himself around physically and won't be intimidated by aggressive tactics. He is a clever player, who is capable of understanding tactical instructions and then carrying them out, even if it means defensive duties. He is not just after the glory of scoring goals.

"You see him running to the wings, demanding the ball, searching for space, especially down the right, where he crosses the ball in as good as any winger in the game.

"Not only will Alan score from close in. He can [score] from outside the box, he takes free-kicks and he scores with his head, his right foot and his left foot. There are no real weaknesses."

One of the 120 national coaches polled by FIFA, Hoddle voted for Shearer second, behind Ronaldo, with Weah third. When the postal hustings closed, Shearer had amassed 123 points, within sight of Weah's 140 but far behind Ronaldo, on 329.

"I am delighted to see Ronaldo win the award with George Weah second," Hoddle continued. "It seems individual flair is going out of the game but those two are recognised for just that. Alan does not have the same individual ability or score such spectacular goals but he knows what he is good at and his work for the team is exceptional. He channels so much energy into his effort for the team and offers more than those two when it comes to scoring because he can score from any range.

"Many people forget he has suffered setbacks and responded. Look at the build-up to the European Championship, when his place in the team was being questioned because he hadn't scored for some time. His answer was to finish as top scorer. That's mental strength. That's character.

"Don't forget he's returned from a serious knee ligament injury and then had two hernia operations in the last seven months. He is a formidable force. Every manager in the world would want him - with a possible exception of the Brazilian coach, because he has quite a few good players himself. We are the envy of every other country." Even Italy.