For many Celtic supporters, there was little doubt that Joe Hart would find success as a media pundit following his retirement from football.
Hart found big late-career glory in Glasgow after joining the Bhoys, making 153 appearances for the club and winning seven trophies.
He became something of an icon along the way, in part thanks to his excellent media savvy and public love of the Celtic experience.
Hart decided he no longer had the hunger to compete with that laser focus needed to pick up honours and is now pursuing a high-profile career with the BBC.
The former goalkeeper was initially part of their Euro 2024 coverage on television and radio. Now he’s featured on the Match Of The Day team, analysing all the English Premier League action alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
Fans have their say on Joe Hart’s first Match Of The Day appearance
There’s a gap in the market for quality goalkeeper analysis and Hart has filled that nicely, providing a new perspective on the weekend’s football.
Fans noticed that immediately and he’s already garnering rave reviews for the way he tackles matches such as Arsenal’s win over Wolves on Saturday.
One view wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Very good debut by Joe Hart on MOTD. Super interesting to hear the goalkeeper’s perspective in a number of situations. More of that please Gary Lineker.”
Another added: “The difference on Match of the Day with having Joe Hart on compared to Danny Murphy, Jermaine Jenas etc. Came in with actual punditry, the goalkeeping information is massively lacking in all football punditry.”
This fan said: “Huge shout to Joe Hart for his MOTD debut. Great to hear a top-end keeper talk about the intricacies.”
Plenty want him to become a permanent addition, with another stating: “Probably one of the best MOTD episodes I’ve seen. Can we get an extra seat & have a goalkeeper on every week to analyse the game from the keeper’s view? Superb job from Joe Hart.”
This viewer summed up the general reaction with: “I usually skip the MOTD analysis but thought Joe Hart was good and had some excellent insight into goalkeeping.”
Joe Hart has the profile and the skills for a long media career
Having been a goalkeeper at the highest level for so long, as well as served England as their number one for years, Hart undoubtedly has the fame and profile to be placed on such a major platform.
That, combined with his skill in analysis and comfort in front of the camera, makes him an obvious candidate to be one of the retired players who makes a big impact on our screens.
It doesn’t work out for everyone who moves into that space – pundits get a lot of criticism as many of us know. However, Hart is adept at providing balance and covering things intelligently. That will serve him well moving forward and it’s great to see him become an initial hit with supporters.
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