Micah Richards has run out of patience with Alan Shearer’s 260 Premier League goals.
The former Manchester City defender turned pundit told Goal in an interview published on Tuesday that he wants Erling Haaland to finally end the chase. Haaland sits fifth in Richards’ all-time Premier League strikers list, edging Luis Suarez on pure finishing instinct.
Richards gave Suarez the nod as the more complete all-round forward, pointing to the Uruguayan’s dribbling, drop-off movement and range of finishes.
“If you look at all-round game, Suarez had that… he’s better all-round than Haaland because he drops off, he can take people on, he can score a variety of different goals,” Richards told Goal.
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Haaland wins the volume argument. The Norwegian has reached 121 Premier League goals, level with Romelu Lukaku in 23rd place on the all-time list, according to NBC Sports. That leaves him 139 short of Shearer.
Harry Kane is the closest active striker to the record on 213. Among the all-time top 25, Haaland trails Steven Gerrard by one and Raheem Sterling by two.
Richards also told Goal that Haaland’s box timing and movement were among the best he had ever seen in football, the reasoning behind the top-five placement.
The record Richards wants retired
Shearer, long retired and now a BBC pundit, remains well clear of every active striker. His 260 goals came across spells at Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, with 30-plus league goals in three consecutive mid-1990s seasons. Only Kane has since come close to matching that run.
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Richards had no interest in reverence. He told Goal he was “sick to death of Alan talking about 260” and wanted Haaland to take the record from him.
Uncertain backdrop at Manchester City
The praise arrives at an awkward moment for Haaland’s club. An independent commission found Manchester City guilty on 25 September 2026 of 114 of the 115 Premier League charges relating to financial breaches between 2009 and 2018.
City lodged their appeal on 1 October 2026, one day inside the deadline. No sanctions have yet been imposed; penalties are suspended pending the appeal outcome.
Enzo Maresca signed a three-year deal to succeed Pep Guardiola on 29 June 2026, and Haaland has been chasing Shearer under the Italian ever since.
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