It’s funny how events in life can change your entire path and way of thinking. For a Trinidadian lad studying in the USA in the early 1990s, it looked like science was the only career path available. But then, real life happened. Goalkeeper Neil Shaka Hislop, who played for Reading, Newcastle United, Portsmouth and West Ham United stopper, reached Premier League football the long way round.Although born in London, Hislop completed college in Trinidad and earned a scholarship to play football (or soccer as they call it over in America) for Howard University. It turned out that all that childhood ball-chasing wasn’t just fun and games. It ensured Shaka progress.
Mechanical engineering studies gave Hislop a chance to better himself and learn at NASA, the American space agency. “I had been attending university in the US on a football scholarship and doing a summer internship at NASA the year before I graduated. After getting my degree in Mechanical Engineering, I was drafted by an indoor team called the Baltimore Blast. We went touring England that summer and played Aston Villa in two indoor games. I played in both games and did quite well.”Hislop playing for Newcastle United in 1998 (©Gallo Images)Luckily for the burly goalkeeper, a Royals scout was in attendance. Speaking to FourFourTwo, Hislop remembered the time he’d become a pro footballer in 1992.”They got in touch and offered me a trial. A couple of months later, they gave me a contract.”Saturday, 18.00: (2.70) Newcastle (3.20) Brentford (2.85)Three years later, Hislop joined the ambitious Newcastle team that came close to winning the League after a dramatic race with Manchester United. Later moves to West Ham and Portsmouth saw the Trinidad and Tobago international make 221 Premier League appearances over ten campaigns.He didn’t only excel in football, but has also faced racism head-on during his career. He’s one of the first donators to Show Racism the Red Card charity that’s been tackling the ever-present problem in sport and society.”Racism strips you entirely of your dignity, of your feeling of any kind of self-worth. You have to put a brave face on – it is a challenge. Black players who came before me have endured even more abuse than me. But many years later, I am recognising how deep that trauma has cut.”The #ShowRacismTheRedCard team with @ShakaHislop at the #BlackBritainBeyond event at @UniofNewcastle ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WumQAsEURY— Show Racism the Red Card (@SRTRC_England) November 14, 2021 Hislop ended his career with FC Dallas in the MLS in 2009 and has been working in the media since – reporting on world football for American channel ESPN. In a parallel universe, Shaka Hislop is in charge of launching rockets into space. In this, however, he was tasked with stopping missiles destined for the back of the net.