32 Facts About Shaka Hislop

Neil Shaka Hislop CM was born on 22 February 1969 and is a retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Shaka Hislop later played for West Ham United on two occasions and for Portsmouth.

Shaka Hislop initially played for the England U-21 team and was on the bench for a full International against Chile, but in the end opted to play for Trinidad and Tobago.

Shaka Hislop is working for sports news and broadcasting service ESPN where he is most often seen as a commentator on ESPN FC.

Shaka Hislop had briefly worked as a goalkeeping coach for the football team at Quinnipiac University.

At an early age, Shaka Hislop wanted to be a striker, but was thrust in goal as he was the tallest player on his team.

Shaka Hislop graduated from Howard with honours with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Shortly after graduating, Shaka Hislop was spotted by a scout from Reading at a friendly indoor match against Aston Villa of the Premier League.

Shaka Hislop was voted joint third along with Death in a poll to decide the club's 'Player of the Millennium'.

Shaka Hislop successfully retained the starting position as Newcastle pipped Arsenal and Liverpool to second place on goal difference at the end of the season.

Shaka Hislop's following season seemed to be following suit until he broke his leg in a match against Bradford City.

However, James reclaimed the starting role, and on 1 July 2002, Shaka Hislop left the club on a free transfer.

Shaka Hislop joined Portsmouth after Harry Redknapp became their new manager.

Shaka Hislop quickly asserted himself as the starter in the side that won the First Division title, ensuring automatic promotion to the Premier League.

In January 2005, following the replacement of Redknapp as manager, his replacement Velimir Zajec signed Greek international Konstantinos Chalkias and Shaka Hislop faced more competition for a place on the team.

On 29 July 2005, Shaka Hislop rejoined West Ham as experienced cover along with Jimmy Walker for new signing Roy Carroll, allowing Stephen Bywater to go out on loan.

Carroll started strongly but a back injury saw Shaka Hislop make occasional appearances through the season until Christmas.

Shaka Hislop featured in every FA Cup game as the team made its way to the final against Liverpool, keeping seven clean sheets in 27 appearances.

On 5 July 2006, Shaka Hislop signed for Major League Soccer team FC Dallas in the United States.

Shaka Hislop had played in three games for Trinidad and Tobago before 1989.

Shaka Hislop was called up for England against Chile at Wembley Stadium in February 1998.

Shaka Hislop played a total of 26 times for the Twin Island nation, captaining the team in five matches.

Shaka Hislop had announced his retirement from international football in 2004, citing the long journeys between England and the Caribbean as a factor, but returned to the national team to aid them in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at the request of the Trinidad and Tobago national team management.

On 17 March 2009, Shaka Hislop signed a contract to be an assistant coach while primarily working with the goalkeepers of the Quinnipiac University football team.

In 2008, Shaka Hislop began a weekly blog covering Major League Soccer for the British newspaper The Guardian's website.

Shaka Hislop is the cousin of American sprint athlete Natasha Hastings.

Shaka Hislop has been a pioneer of football's 'Show Racism The Red Card' Campaign.

Shaka Hislop was inducted into Howard University's Athletic Hall of Fame, only the fifth Association Football player to be so honoured.

Shaka Hislop is entitled to add the 'CM' suffix to his name, as and when desired.

In 2007, Hislop received the Alexander B Chapman Award from the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee for outstanding contribution to sport and the promotion of Olympic ideals.

Shaka Hislop is a member of the Professional Footballer's Association's Roll of Honour, joining Pele with the distinction of being the only two non-British members.

On 10 July 2008, Shaka Hislop became the first member of the Trinidad and Tobago World Cup squad to be inducted into his country's Sporting Hall of Fame.