Joe Hart couldn’t have written a better ending to his professional football career than what he experienced at Hampden on Saturday.
The veteran goalkeeper has hung up his gloves after helping the Bhoys secure a league and cup double. The love he experienced from the Celtic supporters must have been overwhelming.
Hart was serenaded and cheered after the full-time whistle, as the entire squad and staff celebrated Adam Idah’s dramatic 90th-minute winning goal against Rangers to secure the Scottish Cup.
The 37-year-old made 153 appearances for Celtic in total, winning seven trophies and becoming one of the most popular players of recent times.
The feeling is mutual. He loves Celtic and he isn’t shy about sharing that.
Joe Hart wants to acknowledge ‘important’ moment at Celtic
Writing on Instagram, Hart said: “What a day. So important to acknowledge the huge moments in life. To win a double with this special team this season means everything. Congratulations to everybody involved, players, staff and most importantly the Celtic family.
“We achieved this together. I’m going to take a few days before I send a message on here to try and sum up how I’m feeling at the moment, and what you guys mean to me.
“But for now, I’m just happy and proud to have played my part. Enjoy your bank holiday guys.”
Hart will now enjoy a well-earned holiday before taking his first post-retirement step into a new career path.
He’ll be joining the BBC’s punditry team for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament. If that goes well, you can easily see him landing more media gigs in the future.
He’s very comfortable in front of the cameras and always speaks engagingly and honestly about the experience of being a footballer. That should translate well to analysis and he remains a big name down south.
We’ll enjoy seeing him on our TV screens this summer and always fondly remember his time in a Celtic jersey.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
