SUMMER FRIENDLIES
Who is Shaka Hislop, the journalist that fainted before the Real Madrid vs Milan game?
It was later confirmed that ESPN pundit Hislop had regained consciousness having passed out before kick-off at the Rose Bowl.
Real Madrid began their tour of the United States with a 3-2 victory against Milan, with USMNT star Christian Pulisic provided an assist for the Rossoneri’s first goal, scored by Fikayo Tomori, and impressing throughout, as did Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos’ statement summer signing. However, the match was somewhat overshadowed by an ESPN analyst collapsing pitchside shortly before kick-off.
Pundit Shaka Hislop fainted while he was previewing the game along with presenter Dan Thomas, just as the duo were discussing the possible arrival in Madrid of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappé. Hislop fell forward and brushed against Thomas as he fell to the ground, prompting the host to immediately cry out for help.
Hislop “fine” after health scare
Hours after the incident, Thomas announced on air that Hislop had regained consciousness and was able to speak without any difficulty, although he revealed that what had happened to the analyst was still something of a mystery.
“We pray for the health of our colleague Shaka Hislop, the former Premier League and Trindad and Tobago national team goalkeeper, who suddenly fainted during the live broadcast of the Real Madrid-Milan game at the Rose Bowl. Shaka will be fine. He is a great fighter and an excellent human being,” wrote ESPN’s David Faitelson on Twitter (now X).
Who is Shaka Hislop?
Born in London in England, goalkeeper Hislop opted to represented Trinidad and Tobago and played a key role in leading his country to their first ever World Cup in Germany in 2006, then they took on England, Sweden and Paraguay.
Hislop started in both games against the European nations and was named MVP in the draw against Sweden, also impressing in the 2-0 defeat to England. He was, however, a substitute in the third match, another 2-0 loss to Paraguay and ended his international after the tournament having played 26 times in seven years.
Hislop’s decade in the Premier League
At club level, he started his career playing in the English lower leagues with Reading before moving to Premier League side Newcastle United in 1995. He also played for West Ham United and Portsmouth in the English top flight before transferring to MLS team FC Dallas after the 2006 World Cup. He spent the last two years of his career stateside before retiring due to a back injury in August 2007.