Alan Shearer is the greatest Premier League striker of all-time and it was 24 years ago today that he became the most expensive British player when he completed his move from Southampton to Blackburn for £3.6m.

Not bad business for the then 21-year-old who had scored 23 goals in 118 games.

Shearer soon began to repay that fee, scoring 31 goals in 40 games as Rovers finished second in the EPL in 1993/94.

The following term, they went even better as the Englishman’s 34 goals saw him claim his first title.

That form would earn him a £15m world record move to boyhood club Newcastle, where he scored 148 times in 303 matches in 10 years at St James’ Park.

Memorable events on this day

1985: Steve Cram sets the mile world record at three minutes 46 seconds in Oslo.

1990: Graham Gooch scores a Test triple century when he hit 333 in the first innings against India at Lord’s.

2010: Mo Farah wins European gold in the 10,000m in Barcelona.

2012: The London Olympics got under way with a lavish ceremony at the Olympic Stadium.