Home

Soccer

Revealed: How Arnold Schwarzenegger Convinced Alan Shearer for Amusing Picture With His Crocodile

Published 02/01/2024, 7:06 AM EST

Follow Us

“The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else.” Bodybuilding champion Arnold Schwarzenegger once said this, echoing the mindset of a man trying to stand out from the crowd. Throughout his illustrious journey, he remained true to this principle. Little did we know that his sheer optimism and true maverick nature would see him do the unthinkable: convince legendary Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer that posing with a crocodile for a picture would be a ‘great opportunity.’

To give you all some context, this story came to light in Episode 76 of ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast. The panel of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards sat down to discuss a few questions asked by fans. Lineker read one of the questions where a netizen claimed to have come across a picture of Alan with his head inside a crocodile’s mouth, with Arnold looking on. While Lineker also agreed to have seen the picture, he asked Shearer if that was AI-generated. To which the Newcastle legend replied, “No, it did happen.”

When asked how it transpired, he said, “That was last year or the year before when I was in America with the Premier League. We went to his office, the army office, for an afternoon, and he entertained us. He said, ‘Come on, this is a great photo opportunity.’ I’m thinking, ‘Really, is it?'” Questioning Arnold’s directive, Shearer eventually took the actor’s lead. “So I lay on his floor and he got this life-size crocodile out from underneath his pool table and he said, ‘Come on, get on the floor; it’s a great opportunity’ and he was lining up one of his films and I thought I’m going to look a right d**k here,” he concluded. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

This is indeed quite a hilarious as well as amusing story from the former Premier League legend, as even Lineker and Micah couldn’t stop laughing.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Meeting Alan Shearer was a ‘big deal’ for Arnold Schwarzenegger

Aside from giving Alan Shearer an opportunity for a great photo, Arnold Schwarzenegger met the soccer legend to promote the Premier League while carrying the trophy around the globe. While backing him as the greatest soccer player of all time, Arnold said, He was an awesome guy, and it was so much fun to hear about his career as a player and now as a broadcaster.”

Red More: Sir Alex Ferguson & Pep Guardiola Make Top 2 as Jurgen Klopp Ranks 5th on Rio Ferdinand’s List of Greatest Ever Premier League Managers

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Soccer stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Aside from expressing his delight to be a part of the promotion campaign, Mr Universe couldn’t contain his happiness over meeting Shearer, highlighting his Premier League all-time top scorer feat.I grew up with soccer, played soccer in high school, and I am still a big soccer fan, so this was a big deal for me,” he concluded. 

WATCH THIS STORY: Cristiano Jr’s Insane Training Schedule

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Abhishek Mishra

1,907Articles

One take at a time

I first kicked a soccer ball when I was 12. My early exposure to playing the sport earned me many accolades at the zonal and district levels. I still remember my first goal, where I scored a 90+5 minute header like Sergio Ramos did in the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.
Show More>

Edited by:

Rohan Karnad