Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope will jet out to Qatar later today as he hopes to impress for England on the biggest stage of them all. The Magpies star was part of the 2018 World Cup setup but failed to make it off the bench as the Three Lions made it to the final four.
Pope became a social media sensation earlier this season after a viral Twitter poll propelled him to brief and bizarre internet fame. However, he has also been making headlines in between the sticks for Newcastle, who boast the best defence in the Premier League this term.
Pope is flourishing right now but the story of his footballing career is one of early heartbreak followed by incredible resilience on his journey to the top of English football.
Richard Wilkins, who taught a young Pope as part of the West Suffolk College scheme, as well as managing him during his time with Bury, correctly predicted his meteoric rise over a decade ago, announcing to anyone who would listen that the stopper would become a professional and play at the highest level. The coach handed Pope a crucial lifeline after he was released from his beloved Ipswich in 2006.
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"He didn't make it at Ipswich Town because there were goalkeepers in his year and the year above that they thought were maybe slightly better," Wilkins told Chronicle Live. "It wasn't an easy decision for Ipswich whatsoever. Often lads at 15 or 16 go on to mature in the next few years and that is what Nick did.
"He had a great desire to train and you couldn't get him off the training ground. I used to tell him off a lot because he used to try overhead kicks and all sorts! That's the sort of lad he was. He was very well-liked by his peers and class mates, and was one of those lads that every got on with and was always up for a laugh."
Wilkins takes great pride in the fact he predicted Pope would enjoy a fantastic career but the shot-stopper needed a lot of technical work as a youngster to improve his game. Yet Wilkins admired the young keeper's ability to stop the ball hitting the back of the net with practically any part of his body.
"I was a professional player myself and I'd like to think you know a good player when you see one," Wilkins added. "I wouldn't have recommended him to Charlton if I didn't think he had the attributes to go a long way. What stood out for me was his attitude and his desire. His parents just let him get on with it as the academy and Nick had the attitude of fantastic determination and resilience.
"Like everybody, he made some mistakes but it was the way he bounced back from them which showed me that mentally I could see him going a long way. Some of the saves he made, the way he came for crosses, the way he made saves with his leg or hip or shoulder, he made himself so big he was a bit like a Peter Schmeichel. He probably wasn't technically the best goalkeeper in the world but he made big saves.
"I always felt he would definitely go on and play professionally and go all the way. I made that clear 10 or 12 years ago. He had all the attributes to go to the very top and it's proved that way, which is fantastic for him."
Wilkins was the one who told Charlton's chief scout, Phil Chapple, about the quality Pope possessed, which forced the south London outfit to take a look at him during a Bury Town friendly.
Ben Roberts, now Chelsea's goalkeeping coach under Graham Potter, was a Charlton coach at the time and made the trip to check out whether Pope really was the real deal. What he found in Bromley that Saturday afternoon was a player who looked like a 'project' worthy of taking on.
"I've chatted about this quite a bit with my wife actually because it was quite random!" Roberts told Chronicle Live. "We were looking for a bit of a development goalkeeper at the time and the game was Cray Wanderers vs Bury Town.
"I've got loads of pictures of that day. His hair was so long, he looked gangly and all over the place and it was a rock hard pitch too. So I thought 'Ok this is going to be interesting'. He came and swept two balls outside the box quite early and took a massive whack to his head and I thought 'Ok, I don't mind this at all'.
"He did well in the game. I can't say he was unbelievable but there was something I liked. So we invited him in to train the week after for a trial and when he came in some of the lads were looking at his haircut and the big gloves he had on. I remember after a couple of sessions Rob Elliot looked at me and said: 'He's good.'
"We put him in a finishing practice on the first day where he didn't stand much chance but straight away he didn't turn his head. I remember Chris Powell saying 'there's a lot of work to be done but I like him'. My first impressions are what you see now - he's brave, he makes the ball hit him and he's a great kid."
Pope enrolled in a degree during his time with the Addicks but soon asked to ditch his studies to put all his focus into becoming a professional footballer. The young stopper stuck to his word and was soon throwing himself into life as a pro, working tirelessly with Jared Roberts Smith, now head of sports science at Luton, to improve his physicality.
As Pope grew in stature, his career began to pick up after a series of successful loan spells away from The Valley. Stints at Harrow Borough, Welling United, Cambridge United, Aldershot Town and York City helped pave the way for him to rise the ranks at Chris Powell's Charlton.
"I don't think you can ever predict how good they will become," Roberts added. "They need luck, the timing needs to be right, they have to take opportunities as they come. He's taken his opportunities and ran with them. He was resilient and listened.
"He's had a brilliant start at Newcastle. I thought it was a great signing as both a person and a goalkeeper. I watch all of his clips and his games and still speak to him often. I get emotional when I say it but I couldn't be any prouder of him.
"I feel nervous at times when I watch him because I want it to go so well for him. I love him and I've seen all his journey, the good moments and the not so good moments. Even my parents watch him as well!"
Roberts' project paid off and when Charlton's David Button picked up an injury in the final game of the 2012/13 campaign, Pope made his senior debut with the club in the Championship.
Manager that day was Chris Powell, who is another who looks back on the player's career with fondness. Luckily for the Tottenham coach, he now gets to work with Pope in the England setup - and takes a small bit of credit for helping him on his way all those years ago.
"I was going to start him that day [in 2013] because we'd been in a good place but we also wanted to give David a game," Powell told Chronicle Live. "So I didn't start him in a game but I signed him! I always claim that! If I hadn't signed him, he wouldn't have played for Charlton, Burnley, Newcastle and of course England.
"I was given the privilege of handing him his first England shirt when he earned his first cap. Most of the time it's the manager but away to Kosovo I was given the honour of saying a few words in front of everyone. I was nervous as hell but I told them the story of his journey and lots of players didn't know about his background."
Wilkins, Roberts and Powell all talk about Pope's kind-nature and humble beginnings and admit it is testament to his family and upbringing. Asked whether reaching the dizzy heights at the top of club and international football has changed Pope as a person, Powell was unequivocal in his answer.
"He's exactly the same now as he was back then," Powell added. "We were paying him £100-a-week back then and he's the exact same as a Premier League and England player.
"When I first saw him in the England camp I think it was probably reassuring for him that there was someone who really knew him and had been on his journey. I've always looked on from afar at Burnley and thought how great that was for him after the rejection he had early on his career.
"He's got to Newcastle United and he's an England international. It's great to have been part of a journey that has now gone full-circle. We worked together, I've gone off and managed elsewhere, he's gone and played for different clubs and now we're back together internationally. I'm ever so proud of him.
"It shows you can be resilient and come back from a setback at a young age and go all the way to being a Premier League goalkeeper and an international. It's inspirational when you look back at all his clubs and look at where he is now. It's a great story."
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