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David Beckham
Right Midfielder · England
vs
Alan Shearer
Striker · England

David Beckham vs Alan Shearer: Stats Compared

Right Midfielder, England (born 1975, retired 2013) · Striker, England (born 1970, retired 2006)

Comparing David Beckham with Alan Shearer means weighing two very different kinds of greatness. Beyond the numbers, each man brought a singular aesthetic to the pitch. The raw numbers read 145 goals in 839 outings for David Beckham (0.17/game), versus 409 in 733 for Alan Shearer (0.56/game). Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, David Beckham is credited with 152 and Alan Shearer with 0. In major honours David Beckham collected 13 — headlined by 1× UEFA Champions League (1999) — whereas Alan Shearer amassed 9, led by 1× Premier League (1995). Stylistically David Beckham was silky where Alan Shearer was ruthless — two vocabularies of the same sport. Club journeys add another layer, with David Beckham reaching his representative peak around 1999 across Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Alan Shearer doing so around 1995 with Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United. Arguments will run and run, which is exactly why the matchup endures.

173 words · comparison angle: style

Player profiles

David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham
#7·Right Midfielder

English midfielder renowned for his crossing and free-kicks; Champions League winner with Manchester United in 1999 and six-time Premier League champion.

A pinpoint crosser and dead-ball specialist whose right foot could deliver any ball over any distance.

Nationality
England
Born / retired
1975 / 2013
Height
183 cm
Preferred foot
Right
Notable clubs
Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain
Photo: Pinterest
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
#9·Striker

Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and one of the greatest players in Premier League history, he is the league's record goalscorer with 260 goals. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995.

A record-breaking number nine who combined brutal finishing with clever hold-up play.

Nationality
England
Born / retired
1970 / 2006
Height
183 cm
Preferred foot
Right
Notable clubs
Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United
Photo: Wikimedia Commons — Alan Shearer

Head-to-head stats

David Beckham
vs
Alan Shearer
Right Midfielder
Position
Striker
England
Nationality
England
Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain
Notable clubs
Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United
1975 / 2013
Born / retired
1970 / 2006
183 cm
Height
183 cm
Right
Preferred foot
Right
#7
Iconic shirt #
#9
145
Career goals
409
152
Career assists
839
Appearances
733
0.17
Goals per game
0.56
13
Major trophies
9
72.8
Avg. attribute rating
70.8
Retired — peak ~€40m (2003)
Peak market value
Retired — peak value not officially tracked

Career goals by season

Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.

Attribute radar

Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.

Attribute comparison

70Goalscoring86
David BeckhamAlan Shearer
92Playmaking72
David BeckhamAlan Shearer
80Dribbling82
David BeckhamAlan Shearer
75Pace78
David BeckhamAlan Shearer
50Defending35
David BeckhamAlan Shearer
70Physicality72
David BeckhamAlan Shearer

Trophy breakdown

David Beckham
13 major honours
  • 1× UEFA Champions League (1999)
  • 6× Premier League
  • 2× FA Cup
  • 1× La Liga (2007)
  • 2× MLS Cup (2011, 2012)
  • 1× Ligue 1 (2013)
Alan Shearer
9 major honours
  • 1× Premier League (1995)

Trophy distribution

David Beckham
13 honours
Alan Shearer
9 honours

Career milestones

David Beckham
Born 1975 · retired 2013
  1. 1992 Manchester United debut
  2. 1996 Scored a goal from halfway against Wimbledon
  3. 1999 Treble winner with Manchester United
  4. 2001 Last-minute free-kick against Greece sent England to the World Cup
  5. 2003 Joined Real Madrid
  6. 2007 Moved to LA Galaxy
  7. 2013 Won Ligue 1 with PSG and retired
Alan Shearer
Born 1970 · retired 2006
  1. 1987 Established himself at Southampton
  2. 1991 Reached his defining peak
  3. 1995 Delivered a landmark season
  4. 2006 Retired from professional football

The verdict

The verdict
David Beckham
69.5
career score
vs
Alan Shearer
64.3
career score

Taking goals, assists, silverware and overall profile together, David Beckham takes it by a clear margin.

David Beckham edges it (a clear margin)

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