Joe Hart has reflected on his special spell with Celtic.
The Englishman was the unlikeliest of Celtic heroes, moving to Glasgow after years in the English football wilderness.
Having spent five years as England’s number one, he saw his status rapidly decline in the game at Burnley, West Ham and a backup role at Spurs.
Brought to the club by Ange Postecoglou, he established himself as a leading figure in a dominant Celtic team.
Joe Hart: ‘I am forever grateful to Celtic’
Asked if he regretted not coming to Glasgow on BBC Football’s Ask Me Anything on Reddit, Hart said: There’s no shoulda, woulda, couldas with Celtic.
“That place just felt right. Everything about it.”
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He continued: “To get the opportunity to go, first and foremost, when football was about to turn its back on me, was one of the best lifelines that I was ever given.
“I thought I had life left in me. And I knew that it was a difficult place to go to prove myself, because Celtic demands excellence.
“And from what they could see, I was on the bench at Spurs, so I had a lot to prove. And I knew this football club wasn’t daft.
“So I knew that my hard work and my dedication wasn’t going to be enough. I needed to prove it on the pitch.
“But one thing all my friends who’ve played for Celtic promised me is that I’d be given a chance and a warm welcome.
“And I felt like that was going to be enough. And the way the relationship grew, I honestly couldn’t have asked for any more.
“And then I decided I was going to finish playing football, because my family weren’t up in Scotland and we were doing a lot of travelling.
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“And I thought, ‘I need to go back home’. But I did not want to play for anyone else. I was 37 and there’s no doubt I was physically capable of carrying on, but I didn’t want to play for anyone else after that amazing opportunity.
“So to announce I was leaving was to clear things up for the club so they could start making plans for me not being there or not getting involved in any boring conversations, whether they were going to offer me a contract or whether I deserved a contract or any of that. I took that out of the equation.
“And then we had to have that last home game and the Green Brigade’s farewell that was given to me after half-time when I walked out…
“I swear, I still feel it now. So I don’t think I’ve said it enough, what it means to me. I am forever grateful.”
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