Ahead of the 46th edition of the Toulon Tournament, which will be held from 26th May to 9th June, we’ve delved into the archives to relive some of the most memorable moments in the tournament history. Every Tuesday and Friday, we look back at the most thrilling facts provided by the competition. Today, we talk about the fantastic Tournament achieved by Alan Shearer on 1991.
Some editions of a competition are sometimes more memorable than others. The 19th edition of Maurice Revello Tournament played on 1991 will stay for ever in the memories thanks to a legendary display made by a player : Alan Shearer.
Three years before he came to the South of France, Shearer impressed in England when he was only 17 years-old by scoring a hat-trick for his debut in the First Division (former Premier League) during a win of Southampton over Arsenal (4-2).
However, this exploit did not have an immediate effect, as he only scored 7 goals on 72 First Division games then. The Maurice Revello Tournament arrived in the right time for the Southampton young striker in order to show he was not a player we will forget. This opportunity to shine on the international scene was a success for Shearer.
The English forward striked straightaway with a brace against Senegal (2-1) before a hat-trick over Mexico (6-0). A few days later, the future Newcastle legend found again the net against USSR (2-1) and ended the group round with 6 goals in three games !
The Young Three Lions clinched the first spot of their group thanks to their in-form striker. Last step to the title : the final against France. Led by Zinedine Zidane, Patrice Loko and Bruno N'Gotty, Les Bleuets reached the final after they beat USA (3-1), Poland (2-0) and get the point of the draw against Scotland (1-1).
This 3rd June 1991 final between France and England is tight. Without Zidane, who was sent off against Poland, Les Bleuets offered a good resistance to the Young Three Lions, but England found the solution by the end of the game thanks to the inevitable Alan Shearer, who netted the winning goal.
The Toulon Tournament 1991 final's scoresheet
Winners of the previous edition, England retained their title ! Meanwhile, Shearer became the first player ever to score 7 goals in a single edition of the Toulon Tournament. This record was equaled by the Mexican attacking midfielder Marco Fabian on 2012, but not beaten yet...
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The Toulon Tournament’s most memorable moments : 1975, the Argentina of Daniel Passarella clinched the title (1/16)
The Toulon Tournament’s most memorable moments : 1982, the emergence of the Koeman brothers (2/16)
The Toulon Tournament’s most memorable moments : 1983, an epic final between Argentina and Brazil (3/16)
The Toulon Tournament’s most memorable moments : when Jean-Pierre Papin left his mark on the Toulon Tournament’s history (4/16)
The Toulon Tournament’s most memorable moments : 1987, when Hristo Stoichkov helped Bulgaria to reach the final (5/16)
Amayes Brahmi
Credits photo : Offside