Craig Bellamy claims that Alan Shearer didn't speak to him for a couple of weeks when he first arrived at Newcastle United.

After impressing at Norwich City and Coventry City, the Welshman was whisked away to the north east under Sir Bobby Robson in 2001 for a cool £6.5million. And while many on Tyneside were excited to see how the pacy Welsh forward fared at St James' Park, Bellamy has since explained that he didn't get the warm reception he'd have hoped for from Magpies legend Shearer.

Speaking to Gary Neville during an instalment of The Overlap, Bellamy explained: "Because I know all the players he's [Robson] coached, and obviously I grew up watching 1990, then you sort of learn a little bit more before your Robsons and everything like that with '86, '88.

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"So it sort of was like a bit of a boost of like, 'he's willing to buy me, he must rate me – if this guy rates me then I must be a good player'. At the time I probably really needed it as well. So I went there with that confidence, but also with a 'didn't give a s***' attitude either. I was like, 'if I'm going to play in front of 50-odd thousand, then I'd better be ready'.

"I've got Shearer, who you have to impress – cause he don't speak to you unless you impress him. So I had a first couple of weeks where he didn't even look at me, didn't say 'hi'. There was no welcome or anything like that, it was like he would only speak to me if I'm a good player, so I better be a good player then, and really focused on that."

Bellamy – now Wales' head coach – spent five years with the Toon, scoring 43 goals and bagging 23 assists in 128 games, before moving on to Blackburn Rovers in 2005. And while his contributions were certainly helpful at the time, they will certainly be overlooked when compared to those of club icon Shearer.

The homegrown hero kicked off his career with Wallsend Boys Club before being picked up by Southampton in his youth. After progressing through the ranks at academy level, Shearer made signed his first professional contract with the Saints in 1988, enjoying a four-year tenure on the south coast before signing for Blackburn Rovers in '92.

After bagging a pair of Golden Boots and a Premier League title, Shearer returned to the north east in 1996, spending the last 10 years of his career with his boyhood club. The striker made 405 appearances for the Magpies, scoring 206 goals and bagging 58 assists across all competitions – setting the Premier League all-time top scorer record with 260 goals to his name.

His final ever goal will forever be fondly remembered by fans too, converting a 61st-minute penalty in a 4-1 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in April 2006.