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

“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. 

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.

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.”

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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. 

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