Shaka Hislop: Former Newcastle United and West Ham goalkeeper collapses live on US TV

The 54-year old former Premier League goalkeeper collapsed live on television in the USA.

Viewers were left in shock as former Newcastle United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop collapsed live on television while working as a pundit ahead of the pre-season clash between Real Madrid and AC Milan.

The game, which took place in searing Californian heat, was being shown live on ESPN and saw the popular former stopper chat with broadcasting partner Dan Thomas as he previewed the showcase friendly in Pasedena.

However, audiences were left shocked when Hislop staggered backwards and forwards before collapsing to the ground, where there was immediately concern amongst the crew, while the coverage instantly cut away and people rushed to his aid.

Featuring over 250 times in the English top tier, Hislop was a popular figure during the late 1990s as he formed part of Kevin Keegan’s ‘entertainers’ that came close to winning the Premier League in 1997. In fact, he was awarded the Freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne as recently as 2022.

He later moved to London to join West Ham, where he made 105 appearances for the Hammers before he joined Portsmouth where he won the English second tier title in 2003.

While it is not yet known what caused Hislop to faint and despite the worrying scene, viewers were relieved to hear the Trindadian international was okay and even “a little bit embarrassed” said his colleague Thomas.

“Obviously my mate Shaka is not here, but as it stands, it’s good news” he told viewers.

“He’s conscious, he’s talking, I think he’s a little bit embarrassed about it all. He’s apologised profusely, not a man who likes people to make a fuss of him.

“Obviously far too early to make any sort of diagnosis but the important thing is that Shaka is conscious and we spoke to his family as well – because can you imagine seeing that happen live, there can’t be many more things that can scare you.

‘Fortunately we spoke to his wife and things are looking okay. Silly Shaka. Thank you for all your love, and as it stands, Shaka looks like he’ll be alright” added Thomas.