The report says Sven-Goran Eriksson did not contact Shearer personally. Instead, an assistant asked whether the former England striker would consider ending his international retirement.
Shearer had left the national team two years earlier, with Euro 2000 intended to be his farewell. By then, the physical cost of his career was becoming impossible to ignore:
Although he was still delivering for Newcastle United, Shearer had lost pace and adapted his game. The question was no longer whether he could score, but whether his body could survive the demands of club and country.
At Euro 2000, Shearer scored in England’s 1-0 victory over Germany, but the campaign ended in the group stage after defeat by Romania.
For 2002, Eriksson selected Michael Owen, Emile Heskey, Robbie Fowler, Darius Vassell and Teddy Sheringham instead. England beat Argentina 1-0, then exited against Brazil, losing 2-1 in the quarter-finals after Ronaldinho’s famous free-kick deceived David Seaman.
It was natural to wonder whether Shearer could have made the difference. Yet the decision was never about confidence in his ability. It was about physical limits.
“Foi uma decisão agoniante, mas uma decisão que eu precisava tomar. Eu sabia melhor do que ninguém como aquilo afetava meu corpo, meus joelhos, meus tornozelos, minhas costas e tudo que me dava problema”, Shearer said.
He later added: “Se eu tivesse jogado aquela Copa, a temporada seguinte teria sido um desastre.”
That choice denied England a proven striker, but allowed Shearer to continue contributing for Newcastle. The next time an England veteran faces a similar decision, Shearer’s story will remain a powerful reminder that sometimes the bravest answer is no.