Alan Shearer has revealed the real reason behind his emotions during Newcastle’s triumphal 2-1 Carabao Cup win against Liverpool on Sunday.
The Magpies celebrated the triumph of a first major domestic trophy in 70 years with tens of thousands of supporters at the Wembley Stadium.
One of them was Shearer, who lost two FA Cup finals at the famous ground during his 206-goal playing career with Newcastle.
But his former side finally ended their trophy drought with a 2-1 win over the Premier League leaders thanks to an impressive display and goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak.
While many thought the 70-year lack of silverware at Tyneside was the reason for Shearer’s tears, he went to the Rest Is Football podcast in order to clarify it.
‘I must admit, I had a tear or two at the end when the final whistle went. Because I thought of my old man, you know. And I mean, he was looking up,’ he said.
Alan Shearer has revealed the real reason behind his tears at the Newcastle’s triumphal Carabao cup final
The Magpies legend opened up on father’s death, also named Alan, as he admitted he thought of him during the final
Shearer’s beloved Newcastle ended their trophy drought with a 2-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday
‘He went to the ’69 final when they won the Fairs Cup. So, he sort of sampled it a little bit. But I just wish he had been there yesterday (Sunday). But he’d have been looking down, you know.’
Shearer’s father, also named Alan, passed away aged 80 last year following a reoccurrence of cancer.
He was diagnosed in February 2024, having already beaten the disease at the age of 65.
Shearer added: ‘He’d been looking down, you know? Even in his last few days, he was on about Newcastle and how he wanted to do well and win the trophy and what have you. Me and Will, and my daughter Chloe and her boyfriend, we’ll give him a little nod.’
In August 2024, Shearer wrote a column in The Athletic describing his father’s influence on his life and career, highlighting the emotional wounds left by his death.
He wrote: ‘Without my dad here, part of me feels lost and untethered and I hope you can understand. Without wishing to be too maudlin, perhaps you might think of him when the Match of the Day theme sounds this weekend. I know I will. And, if it’s right and feels appropriate, think of your family, too.
‘Without my dad throwing a ball at my pudgy little legs, I would never have been Newcastle’s No 9, wheeling away from the Gallowgate End with my right arm in the air. Without my parents filling and emptying their penny bottle, I would never have owned the boots to become a footballer.
‘My life is his life, my mam’s life, their sacrifice, their normality, our stubbornness, my dream, those things we carry, always on time, never late and our silent, unspoken pride in each other.’
Last year, Shearer paid tribute to the sacrifices his father made to help him become a footballer in a column for The Athletic
He wrote: ‘Without my dad throwing a ball at my pudgy little legs, I would never have been Newcastle’s No 9, wheeling away from the Gallowgate End with my right arm in the air.’
His father was so principled that he refused to attend Newcastle’s games after Shearer was appointed as their manager
However, on Sunday, he posted a photo at Wembley before the final alongside his son Will
Shearer was spotted partying late into the night after Newcastle ended their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy
Shearer described his father as a strong Newcastle fan who stopped attending matches at St James’ Park out of protest against Mike Ashley’s ownership.
His father did not even go to their games after he was appointed as their manager in 2009, telling him, ‘I’ve made my decision, and I’m sticking to it’.
But there was no denying his quiet love for his son, and as Shearer explained, he ‘broke the habit of a lifetime’ by praising him when he broke the Magpies’ goalscoring record in 2006.
‘He was not a poetic man, my dad — he was as grounded as they come, a bloke’s bloke, a Geordie grafter — but when I was a kid, we’d sat around the telly as a family on Saturday nights watching the football highlights. So how about that for a choker?’ Shearer wrote.
‘I got to the end of last season with the blinkers on. I appeared on Match of the Day a couple of times and glided through it, just as I did for my punditry work at the European Championship, but the here and now feels different.
‘Without my dad throwing a ball at my pudgy little legs, I would never have been Newcastle’s No 9, wheeling away from the Gallowgate End with my right arm in the air.
