Nick Pope
Nick Pope, in a candid discussion on Ben Foster’s Fozcast podcast, opened up about the emotional turmoil he faced following a red card incident in a Premier League match against Liverpool. The decision, which occurred when Pope handled the ball outside the box while attempting to intercept a pass intended for Mohamed Salah, resulted in his suspension from the crucial cup final at Wembley. With Martin Dubravka cup-tied, Lloris Karius was brought in as the replacement goalkeeper. Newcastle United subsequently lost 2-0 to Manchester United, extending their long-standing silverware drought. Pope described this as one of the most challenging periods of his career.
Nick Pope said: “I’ve never been sent off before. How often are you outside your box on your face? What are you doing in that situation – you don’t really train for that one. Five minutes into that game, I headed one 45 yards. I am on the front foot in general. Allison has kicked it to Salah, we’re quite exposed. I know he’s not going to get there before the bounce, and the bounce has skipped up and just gone away from me a bit. I didn’t sleep for days, if I’m honest. It was a difficult period – this would’ve been a Saturday night game, then you go back into training, and the next game is a final, and you know you’re not playing. You’re thinking you’re never going to get another shot – I was 31/32 at the time, and by the time Newcastle next get to a final, I could be long gone, realistically. It motivated the life out of me, because there’s a small window where I’m going to be Newcastle United’s goalkeeper and we’re going to have a top team. Within that window, we’ve got a chance to win something, and I could be a part of that. It lit a fire inside of me – but the days after, you’re not sleeping and you feel like the worst person ever. You bump into anyone in the street, and they want to talk about it. The lads rallied around me and were great. After that, I said to myself, I’ve had a good season at that point, it was a bit of a blip, and we had a massive run in to get into the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. That was more fuel as well.”
Pope’s determination to overcome adversity paid off. Two years later, he reclaimed his position as Newcastle’s first-choice goalkeeper, leading the team to another Carabao Cup final. This time, Newcastle emerged victorious with a historic 2-1 win over Liverpool, ending a 56-year trophy drought for the club. The victory not only etched Pope’s name into the club’s history books but also provided him with a personal sense of redemption.
Nick Pope added: “Beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final was one of my best moments. Holding the trophy above my head was special. We were a joke that day. As team performances go, we could have had so many more goals. When you have that feeling like the team’s on it, especially with 40,000 Geordie’s behind you, and it feels like life or death. From a selfish point of view, I missed the previous final, so for me, that was my time. The celebrations were heavy and unbelievably emotionally draining. You get to the end of the night, in the early hours of the morning and you sit back and just think about how amazing that was.”
Pope’s journey exemplifies resilience and the ability to turn setbacks into motivation. His story serves as an inspiration not only to his teammates but also to fans who witnessed Newcastle’s triumphant return to glory. The emotional rollercoaster of missing a final and then playing a pivotal role in a historic victory underscores the unpredictable nature of football and the personal growth it can foster.
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