24 July 2023 , 08:08
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Former Premier League star Shaka Hislop is "conscious and talking" after collapsing live on ESPN ahead of AC Milan's clash with Real Madrid in California.
Hislop made more than 250 appearances in the top flight during spells at Newcastle, West Ham and Portsmouth. He also started the 2006 FA Cup final, saving a penalty in a shootout which the Hammers lost to Liverpool after a thrilling 3-3 draw.
After ending his career with MLS side FC Dallas, Hislop turned to media work and is now one of ESPN's top football pundits. In that role, he was on duty at the Rose Bowl in Pasedena to cover Milan's friendly against Madrid on Sunday night.
But in a horrifying incident, Hislop collapsed live on air as present Dan Thomas asked him a question. The former keeper staggered backwards and then forwards before collapsing to the ground.
His collapse sparked immediate alarm, with Thomas shouting "Shaka!" before saying "We need some help". The coverage instantly cut away, though at half-time, Thomas confirmed that Hislop was awake and talking.
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"Half-time then here at the Rose Bowl. It's AC Milan 2-0 Real Madrid, but that of course is very much secondary to what happened ahead of the game. Obviously my mate Shaka not here, but as it stands it's good news," he said.
Shaka Hislop is conscious and talking after collapsing on ESPN (ESPN)"He's conscious, he's talking, I think he's a little 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 a diagnosis.
"But the important thing is that Shaka's conscious. We spoke to his family as well because you can imagine seeing that happen live, they can't be many more things that scare you. Fortunately, we spoke to his wife and things are looking OK.
"We'll be going back to the second-half here at the Rose Bowl. Thank you for all your love and as it stands, it looks like Shaka will be alright."
Milan had been 2-0 up at half-time thanks to goals from Fikayo Tomori and Luka Romero. Former Chelsea stars Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic both started for the Serie A side, while England international Jude Bellingham lined up for Los Blancos.
Madrid made eight changes at the break, with Bellingham one of only two outfield players to feature for more than 45 minutes. The other was Federico Valverde, who scored a quick-fire double to draw the Spanish side level.
And with six minutes remaining, Vinicius Junior struck to hand Madrid the win. Los Blancos now face Manchester United on Wednesday, while Milan will face Serie A rivals Juventus on Thursday.