Nick Pope (footballer)

2.1. Childhood and Education

Pope attended St Andrew's Primary School in Soham, where he was in the same class as Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, victims of the tragic 2002 Soham murders. He later continued his education at King's School in nearby Ely.

3.1. Youth and Non-League Career

A season ticket holder for Ipswich Town, Pope began his football journey in the club's youth setup at the age of 10. He remained with Ipswich until he was released at 16. Following his release, he joined non-League club Bury Town in 2008. At Bury Town, Pope proved his capability at that level, challenging and temporarily replacing Marcus Garnham to wear the number one shirt for a number of first-team matches, having debuted for the team at just 16 years of age. During his time at Bury Town, he also worked part-time as a milkman. Manager Richard Wilkins described Pope as "the most naturally-talented player to progress through the ranks at the West Suffolk Sports Academy and Bury Town," expressing confidence that Pope could "go all the way to the top." Pope was also a member of the West Suffolk College squad and represented an England Colleges squad.

3.2. Charlton Athletic

On May 24, 2011, League One club Charlton Athletic signed Pope after he was scouted during a 2-1 victory against Billericay Town. He was invited for a trial at Charlton, and after impressing the staff, he signed a two-year contract. The agreement included a compensation package for Bury Town, which involved Charlton playing a pre-season friendly against the Suffolk club ahead of the 2012-13 season (though Pope was unable to play due to injury). Charlton also funded Pope's pursuit of a degree in sports science at the University of Roehampton, alongside other courses he had planned to take at the University of Nottingham before joining Charlton. On February 7, 2012, Pope signed a new two-year contract with Charlton.

He made his professional and Charlton debut on May 4, 2013, in the final match of the 2012-13 season. He came on as a 71st-minute substitute for David Button in Charlton's 4-1 home win against already relegated Bristol City in the Championship. In September 2013, Pope signed a new three-year contract, stating, "It's a big club so to have a long-term future secure, for me, as a player developing, it's something you look for." His commitment to Charlton was further solidified on June 5, 2014, when he signed a new four-year contract, extending his stay until June 2018.

3.2.1. Loan Spells

Pope's time at Charlton Athletic included several loan spells to gain match experience.

In August 2011, Pope joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Harrow Borough on a loan deal until September 17, 2011. During this period, he kept three clean sheets and saved two penalty kicks in 19 appearances. In December 2011, a planned move to Conference Premier club Kettering Town fell through due to Kettering being under a transfer embargo. Consequently, he joined Conference South club Welling United on a 28-day loan on December 21, 2011. On March 7, 2013, Pope moved to Cambridge United in the Conference Premier on a one-month loan, where he made nine appearances and kept four clean sheets.

On September 26, 2013, Pope joined Conference Premier club Aldershot Town for a one-month loan. He then moved to League Two club York City on a one-month loan on November 21, 2013, but was recalled by Charlton after only two matches. On January 16, 2014, Pope rejoined York on loan for the remainder of the 2013-14 season, where he kept 16 clean sheets in 24 appearances.

On January 6, 2015, Pope joined Bury on loan for the rest of the 2014-15 season. He made his debut for Bury in a 1-1 home draw against Wycombe Wanderers on January 17, 2015. He made 22 appearances as Bury secured promotion to League One by finishing third in League Two.

3.3. Burnley

Pope's move to Burnley marked his entry into the Premier League, where he became a key player.

3.4. Newcastle United

Pope signed for Premier League club Newcastle United on June 23, 2022, on a four-year contract. The transfer fee was reported by Sky Sports to be 10.00 M GBP. He kept a clean sheet on his competitive debut in Newcastle's 2-0 home win against Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the 2022-23 Premier League season.

Pope was sent off for handling the ball outside his penalty area in Newcastle's 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool on February 18, 2023. His dismissal meant that Newcastle were without both their first and second-choice goalkeepers for the 2023 EFL Cup final against Manchester United, as Martin Dúbravka was cup-tied after playing for United during his loan spell. Third-choice goalkeeper Loris Karius made his debut in the final, which Newcastle lost 2-0.

During the 2022-23 season, Pope quickly rose to the top in the race for the Golden Glove, achieving six consecutive clean sheets. He maintained this lead for several weeks but eventually recorded only one more clean sheet during that period and was surpassed by Manchester United's David de Gea. It was later revealed that Pope had been playing with an injured finger and underwent minor surgery on it after Newcastle's goalless draw with Leicester City, a result that secured Newcastle's return to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 20 years.

On December 6, 2023, the club announced that Pope would be out of action for approximately four months due to a shoulder injury sustained in a home match against Manchester United.

5.1. Club Statistics

5.2. International Statistics