By Alan Hansen BBC Sport football expert

I think Alan Shearer has been the best striker in the Premiership.

Thierry Henry is a phenomenal player and has a wonderful goalscoring record with Arsenal but Shearer's longevity just swings it for him.

Shearer celebrates his goal at Sunderland in what may be his playing finale

He has been around virtually since the Premiership started. Not only has he put in performance after performance and scored goal after goal but he was everything you would want in a centre-forward.

Goalscoring is a very selfish occupation and, not only did he do that, but he was also a great team player.

Wherever he went, whether it was Southampton, Blackburn or Newcastle, he really appreciated what team work and team spirit was about.

He was at the forefront of that philosophy which was great for everybody because, as I say, he was in a very selfish position.

His record is absolutely phenomenal both for the clubs he played at and for England. He was a great striker for England.

He just did and had everything. He was strong, great in the air, had great touch and technique and, when he was in his prime, he had pace.

He was very difficult to play against and was very much a team man and player.

He could have gone to Man Utd but he chose Newcastle - I am sure he does not regret that in any way, shape or form

You could not ask for anymore from a centre-forward. Everywhere he went he was the first one on the team sheet.

He had that competitive side as well where he wanted to win everything he played in and every great player has that quality.

I think he has been a real credit to the game of football.

The thing about his injuries is that some players do not come back from the kind he has suffered.

But he had that type of commitment and willingness to win to come back and still play a prominent part at Newcastle.

He is a legend for the club. He could have gone to Manchester United but chose Newcastle. I am sure he does not regret that in any way, shape or form.

And, it is fitting that in his last season that he broke the record of Jackie Milburn, who is also a legend for Newcastle.

Shearer cuts a forlorn figure after getting injured at Sunderland

The one down side of his career is that he did not win a lot in the game. He won a championship at Blackburn and got to a couple of FA Cup finals with Newcastle but when you speak to him he is really honest and realistic about having no regrets.

Why should he have any regrets? He is one of the greatest strikers of all time.

He loved Newcastle and playing for them and to score as many goals as he did in such a prolific career was probably fitting for him.

It is a harsh way to go out but, like he said, to score a goal against his local rivals in his final game was a great finale.

As far as his England career went, I think he looked at it and thought he was going to find it really difficult to play at his best for Newcastle and England - the one that obviously had to go was England.

By not playing for England after Euro 2000 it enabled him to play for Newcastle a lot longer than he would have done. Not only the playing but the travelling was taking its toll and I think he got out at the right time.

I played against him a couple of times when he was at Southampton and you could see at that tender age that he was going to be a great player.

You can never tell how they are going to develop but he has been a handful for every defender he played against and I wouldn't have been any exception.

You look back at his attributes and what he gave to the game and he had a totally glittering career.