Shaka Hislop

Former Newcastle United goalkeeper who finished second in the Premier League in two successive seasons and later starred for Trinidad and Tobago at their first World Cup.

Neil Shaka Hislop CM (born 22 February 1969) is a football commentator and former player who played as a goalkeeper. Born in England, he played for the England under-21 team before representing Trinidad and Tobago at senior international level.

Quick Facts

Full name: Neil Shaka Hislop
Born: 22 February 1969
Birthplace: Hackney, London, England
Height: 1.93 m / 6 ft 4 in
Position: Goalkeeper
Total caps: 381

Lore & Background

Hislop spent the majority of his playing career in the top division in England where he was a part of the Newcastle United team which finished second in the Premier League for two successive seasons. Before this, he played for Reading, where he was on the losing side in the First Division play-offs despite finishing second overall (the only occasion on which second place was not an automatic promotion position). He later played for West Ham United in two spells (receiving an FA Cup runners-up medal during his first season in 2006) and also for Portsmouth (where he won the First Division in 2002–03).

Reader's Guide

Hislop was eligible to play for both England and Trinidad and Tobago. He initially played for the England under-21 team and was on the bench for a full international against Chile, but in the end opted to play for Trinidad and Tobago. A dispute with the national team ruled him out of contention for several years, but he returned to play and starred in the country's first ever World Cup appearance in 2006. Hislop is now working for sports news and broadcasting service ESPN where he is most often seen as a commentator on ESPN FC. He had also briefly worked as a goalkeeping coach for the football team at Quinnipiac University.

Did You Know?

Hislop grew to just under 6'5" in height.
He graduated from Howard University with honours with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and interned at NASA.
He was voted Reading's Player of the Season in 1994–95 and later voted the club's best goalkeeper in a poll for their greatest-ever XI.
Hislop won the 'Hammer of the Year' award in his first season at West Ham United.