Shaka Hislop is recovering after his on-air collapse ahead of Real Madrid and Milan’s friendly match at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sunday.
The 54-year-old former Trinidad and Tobago international regained consciousness after falling face-first during a pre-game ESPN segment.
Hislop’s colleague and host Dan Thomas quickly called for medical attention, and ESPN went straight to commercials.
Temperatures in California hovered around 86F, though it’s not detailed if the heat played a role in Hislop’s fall.
“My mate, Shaka, not here, but as it stands, it’s good news,” Thomas said in an update at half-time. “He’s conscious. He’s talking. I think he’s a little embarrassed about it. He’s apologized profusely. Not a man who likes to bother people.
“Obviously it’s way too early to make a diagnosis, but the most important thing is that Shaka is conscious and we’ve talked to his family as well, because you can imagine seeing that happen live.”
London-born Hislop is a popular former West Ham United, Newcastle UnitedPortsmouth and FC Dallas shot stopper.
Now a respected football pundit, he also represented Trinidad and Tobago internationally. including at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Real fought back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Milan in the match and Jude Bellingham made his debut following his summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund.