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Rio Ferdinand declares Jordan Henderson a better captain than Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer

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Alan Shearer is a Newcastle United legend and even that label does not tell the full story. 

The current crop of Newcastle United players may have won a trophy but Shearer’s impact at St James’ Park cannot be overstated.

Shearer returned to his boyhood club for what was then a world-record fee of £15million in the summer of 1996, having left Tyneside as a youngster before honing his craft at Southampton and Blackburn.

The Premer League’s all-time top goalscorer, he’s undoubtedly one of the best strikers England has ever produced. 

Newcastle’s top goalscorer rejected other offers to join his boyhood club and, while the team wasn’t successful during his ten-year spell at the club, it’s difficult to think of a more important figure in the club’s history, at least in the modern age.

The driving force of the team for years, Shearer is one of the Premier League’s iconic players.

Rio Ferdinand, however, thinks former Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson was a better captain…

Newcastle United v Manchester United
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Rio Ferdinand ranks Jordan Henderson as a better captain than Alan Shearer

The former Manchester United and England star is now a pundit of course and was asked to rank his all-time Premier League captain by the Daily Mail, who have posted the TikTok video recently. 

Henderson, who led Liverpool to a Premier League and Champions League alongside a raft of other cup trophies, was up first.  

Ferdinand selected Henderson over the likes of Virgil van Dijk (for now), Ledley King, Shearer and Gary Neville.

He then selected ex-Arsenal hero Tony Adams over the former Sunderland midfielder, before then choosing Roy Keane when his name came up. 

Has Alan Shearer ever won a trophy?

Basing it on trophies won alone seems a fairly flawed argument. Shearer did win the Premier League back in 1995 but that was with Blackburn.

Henderson’s status as a former Sunderland player is unlikely to make him too popular on Tyneside. Still, regardless of that, his achievements at Anfield cannot be overlooked.

However, the midfielder was rarely the best player in Jurgen Klopp’s team. While an important figure no doubt, it would perhaps be fair to say he wasn’t as important to them as Shearer was to Newcastle.

It’s not the first time the pundit has riled Toon supporters.

Back in 2021, Ferdinand told Newcastle fans to buy the club from Mike Ashley themselves if they were that unhappy with his ownership…