Joe Hart lifts lid on the Celtic chat with Postecoglou that reinvigorated his love for football

By Euan Davidson

October 23, 2021

At 34, Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart thought he’d seen it and done it all.

75 caps for England. 2 Premier Leagues, 2 English League Cups and and an FA Cup. Adverts, endorsements, acclaim. Having played in two World Cups and two European Championships, Hart’s struggles over the last few years led many to wonder if his time at the top was done.

Hart looked keen under José Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur. But the less glamorous side of the game, the business aspect, and dealing with the media? For someone who broke out so young, Hart was fed up with it.

Until a chat with Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou reminded him it was worth it. Hart, now an integral part of a side with multiple title aspirations, is delighted with where he’s at.

He said [The Times]:

“Ange is a pretty simple guy when it comes to the information he gives you. I’ll be honest: at that point football wasn’t doing everything that it had [previously] done for me in my life.

“I don’t know where my thoughts were with it because I am very committed to what I do. I like to be fully on board with the people I work for. I told Ange that I didn’t quite know how to feel about football at that moment. He understood and he was very simple in what he said.

“[Postecoglou] told me: “If you come here you’ll be treated with a lot of respect and you will get a lot of responsibility”’. He also said: “Regardless of anything, I believe in you as a goalkeeper”. No matter who you are, you need to hear that: you need to know someone has confidence with you.”

Joe Hart praises Ange Postecoglou for Celtic opportunity

Hart continued [The Times]:

“I’ve been around for a long time, I’ve seen a lot and I’ve been allowed to bring that to the team, as well as what I can do on the field.

“I need to be careful with my words here because I didn’t necessarily fall out of love with the game. I’ve never not loved football. But the industry, the business side of it … I didn’t love.

“That’s not me being a victim: I get it. I get that football is cut-throat and there are lots of people who have a lot of opinions. I just fell on the wrong side of a lot of them.”

Suffice it to say, it’s worked out for Hart thus far.

Celtic have gone from having a real quandary between the sticks to an undisputed first choice. Hart has gone from someone who was considering his future, to someone embracing the present.

We spoke yesterday about Jota and Kyogo needing no convincing to join Celtic. That’s fine and good. But how brilliant it is, also, to have a manager capable of rekindling a real passion for the game.

What a signing Joe Hart has been. And there’s still plenty more to give.

Read more: Ralston resurgence praised by former Celtic youngster who drove him to training