Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) is an English football pundit, coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper. He was most recently the goalkeeper coach of EFL League Two club Shrewsbury Town.
He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury Town in the Football Conference and League Two. In 2006, he moved up to the Premier League with Manchester City, having attracted the attention of several other top-flight teams. In his first season, he spent time on loan at Tranmere Rovers and Blackpool. Hart had a loan spell with Birmingham City in the 2009–10 season, during which he was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year and was voted as the Premier League goalkeeper of the season in recognition of his performances. He returned to Manchester City for the 2010–11 season and won the Golden Glove for keeping the most clean sheets throughout the Premier League season. Hart replicated this feat in the 2011–12 season as Manchester City won the Premier League title. He won the Golden Glove for the third year in a row the following season, and won again in 2012–13 for his fourth in five years. In between, Hart won a second Premier League title with Manchester City in 2013–14. With over 100 Premier League clean sheets, Hart holds the joint record for the most Golden Glove awards (four).
With the arrival of new manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City in 2016, Hart became the second-choice goalkeeper and made only one appearance in the UEFA Champions League before moving on loan to Torino and West Ham United in successive seasons. In August 2018, he moved to Burnley on a permanent transfer after injuries to the club's two regular goalkeepers. When they returned from injury, Hart again found himself in the role of backup and he left the club at the end of his contract in June 2020. In August 2020, Hart signed with Tottenham Hotspur on a two-year deal. A year later, he signed for Scottish Premiership side Celtic. At Celtic, Hart rejuvenated his career, winning seven honours in three seasons at Celtic Park, including three consecutive Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish League Cups and two Scottish Cups. He retired at the end of the 2023–24 season.
A former regular for England at Under-21 level, Hart made his senior international debut in June 2008, and was recognised as England's first-choice goalkeeper from 2010 to 2017. He gained 75 caps, kept 43 clean sheets and was selected in England's squads for two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships.
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Early life
Hart was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, to Charles Hart, who sold gym equipment, and his wife Louise, a nursery school teacher. He attended Oxon Primary School, followed by Meole Brace School in Shrewsbury, where he was head boy in his final year. As a schoolboy, he was an equally competent cricketer and briefly played for Shrewsbury CC in the Birmingham and District Premier League and also spent two years in Worcestershire's youth squads, playing alongside England cricketer Steven Davies.
Club career
Shrewsbury Town
While still a 15-year-old schoolboy, Hart travelled with the first-team squad of his hometown club, Shrewsbury Town, to Exeter City on 1 February 2003. He was a non-playing substitute on that occasion and fulfilled that role again versus Rochdale at Gay Meadow on 1 March 2003, still some six weeks short of his 16th birthday. This match yielded Shrewsbury's final victory in a season that culminated in relegation to the Football Conference. During the one season that Shrewsbury spent in the Conference, Hart made his senior debut on 20 April 2004, the day after his 17th birthday. He played the full 90 minutes in the match against Gravesend & Northfleet. Four days later, he conceded three at Morecambe.
Hart did not play again until April of the following year, as Scott Howie dominated goalkeeping duties. With Shrewsbury back in the Football League and struggling in the newly renamed League Two, Hart played six matches, conceding four goals.
From the start of the 2005–06 season, Hart made the step up into the first team, and became the club's first-choice goalkeeper. He played a full 46-match league season, conceding 55 goals. Despite conceding more than one goal per game, Hart won plaudits for his personal performances, winning his first England under-19 cap in October 2005, as a substitute against Poland.
Hart also found admirers in the Premier League, with several top-flight scouts attending matches. On 30 November 2005, the Shropshire Star newspaper reported that Everton goalkeeping coach Chris Woods had been present at Town's previous league match, a 4–3 loss at Rochdale. Manager Gary Peters said "Everton have been to watch him, but you could say the same about Arsenal, Chelsea and every other team in the Premiership." Speculation about his future continued for the duration of the season, and with the presence of their goalkeeping coach Tim Flowers at several matches, Manchester City became the most likely of his suitors.
Hart was announced as the top League Two player for January 2006 in the PFA Fans' Player of the Month Awards, voted for by fans via the Professional Footballers' Association website. At the PFA Awards ceremony on 23 March 2006, it was announced that Hart had been voted as League Two's best goalkeeper for 2005–06 by his fellow professionals, earning him a place in the League Two PFA Team of the Year.
Manchester City
Hart's move to Manchester City was completed as soon as Hart returned from England under-19 duty in Belgium, where a defeat to Serbia and Montenegro in the elite round meant England failed to qualify for the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. It was reported at the time that City were to pay an initial £600,000 fee for Hart, rising to £1.5 million if undisclosed clauses were achieved, but John Wardle, then City chairman, revealed in 2012 that the transfer fee was actually £100,000. Hart was recommended to the City hierarchy by the club's goalkeeping coach Tim Flowers who believed he had great potential. Hart made his debut for City on 14 October 2006 after injuries ruled out Andreas Isaksson and Nicky Weaver for the Premier League match against Sheffield United. He kept a clean sheet in the match, which finished goalless.
Hart spent January 2007 on loan to League One club Tranmere Rovers. He made six appearances and conceded eight goals. He was then named in his then club manager Stuart Pearce's first squad in his part-time role as England U21 coach, alongside another goalkeeper uncapped at U21 level, Ben Alnwick. He was not chosen to start the match on 6 February 2007 against Spain, but did come on as a substitute late in the match.
In April 2007, Hart joined Blackpool on loan as cover for the injured trio of Rhys Evans, Paul Rachubka and Lewis Edge. He kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 win for Blackpool away to Huddersfield Town on 9 April 2007, in his first appearance for the club. Blackpool won all five matches in which Hart appeared, including a 6–3 win away to Swansea City in his final appearance.
On his return from a successful loan spell at Blackpool, then Manchester City manager Sven-Göran Eriksson named Hart as Manchester City's number one ahead of Andreas Isaksson. After his performance against Newcastle United, Eriksson named him as "one of the biggest talents in this country as a goalkeeper", and that he had the potential to become an England international in the future. Only months later, he made his England debut against Trinidad and Tobago on 1 June 2008. In October, he was inducted to Shropshire Schools & Colleges Football Association's Hall of Fame along with former teammate David Edwards in recognition of their achievements. Later that month, he signed a new five-year contract.
After Isaksson's departure to PSV Eindhoven, Hart took the vacant number 1 jersey when the official squad numbers for the 2008–09 season were announced. However, his position as first-choice keeper was taken by Shay Given upon the Irishman's arrival at the club in January 2009.
Burnley
In August 2018, Burnley announced the signing of Hart on an initial two-year contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £3.5m. Hart was signed due to injuries to regular keepers Tom Heaton and Nick Pope. This ended his 12-year association with Manchester City and his former chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak said, "Joe Hart's contribution to Manchester City cannot be overstated. He will rightly be regarded as a City legend in perpetuity."
He made his Burnley debut on 9 August in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Europa League against İstanbul Başakşehir, keeping a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. After playing in Burnley's first 19 league games of the season, he was dropped for a recovered Tom Heaton after a 5–1 defeat to Everton on Boxing Day.
After making only three appearances during the 2019–20 season, all of which came in cup competitions, Burnley opted not to extend Hart's contract beyond the end of June 2020 and he left the club.
Tottenham Hotspur
After leaving Burnley, Hart joined Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer. He signed a two-year deal with the club. Hart made his debut for Tottenham in the Europa League away tie against Shkëndija on 24 September 2020 which Spurs won 3–1. He was at fault for two of the goals in a 3–3 draw against LASK on 3 December.
Celtic
On 3 August 2021, after being told he was not part of new Spurs manager Nuno Espírito Santo's plans, Hart signed for Scottish club Celtic on a three-year contract. Hart made his debut two days after signing in a 4–2 away win against Czech side FK Jablonec in the Europa League, but appeared uncomfortable during the match, particularly during Celtic's concession of a second goal. However, manager Ange Postecoglou said that Hart's debut was "okay" and insisted that "Joe will improve". He made his Scottish Premiership debut on 8 August, keeping a clean sheet in the 6–0 thrashing of Dundee at Celtic Park.
Hart made an error in the Europa League qualifying play-off match against AZ Alkmaar on 26 August 2021, failing to clear his lines and conceding as a result. He did go some way to redeeming himself later in the same game, with two impressive saves to deny Zakaria Aboukhlal from scoring either side of half-time. And although Celtic lost 2–1 on the night, they narrowly managed to win the tie on aggregate.
On 19 September, Hart was named stand-in captain for a league game against Livingston. Hart received praise for his performance despite Celtic losing 1–0, making saves to deny Jack Fitzwater and Alan Forrest. Hart received plaudits for his performance against Hibernian on 27 October, denying a close-range Joe Newell effort and smothering a Jamie Murphy strike, helping Celtic to a 3–1 win. Two matches later, however, Hart was at fault again for a goal in a 4–2 win at Dundee.
On 19 December 2021, Hart played the full 90 minutes as Celtic won the 2021–22 Scottish League Cup after defeating Hibernian 2–1 via a brace from Kyogo Furuhashi in the final.
In May 2022, Hart won the 2021–22 Scottish Premiership with Celtic.
In October 2022, Hart made an error against RB Leipzig in an away Champions League group stage fixture. The error led to Leipzig's third goal in a 3–1 defeat.
During Celtic's 2022–23 season, Hart was the first-choice keeper as the club secured a domestic treble. He played the full 90 minutes in both the Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup finals, as the club also secured the domestic title.
International career
Youth levels
Hart made his first international appearance in September 2005 in an England under-19 friendly match against Belgium at Darlington; replacing starting goalkeeper Ben Alnwick at half-time, he was unable to save the penalty that made the score 3–2, but with three minutes left made a "terrific one on one save" from an unmarked attacker. He played in five more matches for the under-19s, his last a 1–0 defeat away to Serbia and Montenegro on 22 May 2006.
After making his under-21 debut as a substitute for Scott Carson in a 2–2 draw with Spain, Hart was selected by Stuart Pearce in the 30-man preliminary squad for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and made the final 23. In the team's final friendly before the finals, Hart was selected for his first under-21 start, and played the full 90 minutes in a 5–0 win over Slovakia at Carrow Road. However, Hart took no part in the finals, with Carson playing in all four of England's fixtures.
Hart played in all the qualifying matches for the 2009 European Championships, In the finals, he started the first two group-stage matches and was rested for the last match as England had already sealed their passage to the knock-out stage. In the semi-final against Sweden, he conceded three goals in the second half as the match ended 3–3 after extra time, but made up for it by saving a penalty and scoring another as England won 5–4 in the shoot-out. However, he was yellow-carded for leaving his line to talk to Mikael Lustig as he prepared to take his penalty. England's appeal was rejected, so Hart was suspended for the final; Scott Loach kept goal as England lost 4–0 to Germany.
Senior team
Having been a regular in the England under-21 squad, Hart was called up by Fabio Capello to the senior England team for the friendly matches against the United States and Trinidad and Tobago. An unused substitute against the United States, he made his debut against Trinidad and Tobago on 1 June 2008 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain. He came on at half time for David James with England 2–0 up, eventually running out 3–0 winners. However, Hart's senior England debut did not earn Shrewsbury Town the expected bonus of £500,000 from Manchester City, as negotiated as part of his transfer in 2006, because it was not a competitive match.
Hart kept his place in the squad for a friendly against the Czech Republic in August, but remained unused. After Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Paul Robinson withdrew from the squad for World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Belarus in October 2009, Hart took his place, and in November, he was called up for a friendly against Brazil, but he did not appear in either match.
Capello named Hart in his provisional 30-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Hart played the second half of both of England's warm-up matches, replacing Robert Green against Mexico and James against Japan, and kept a clean sheet in each case. All three goalkeepers, Hart, Green and James, were included in the final 23-man selection.
Hart did not feature in the World Cup but started England's next match, a friendly against Hungary, to earn his fourth cap. He conceded his first England goal in dubious circumstances when the ball appeared not to have crossed the line from a deflection from Phil Jagielka, and made a vital late save from Zoltán Gera as England won 2–1. Hart was given his first competitive cap in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier, a 4–0 win against Bulgaria at Wembley Stadium; he made three crucial saves, one of which he palmed away to begin the counterattack that led to an England goal. However, he had a poor game in another Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland on 4 June 2011, inexplicably letting in two Tranquillo Barnetta free-kicks. For the second Switzerland goal Hart was caught out by a relatively straightforward shot which unexpectedly beat him at his near-post from a tight angle. Hart won another two caps November 2011 in friendlies against world champions Spain and Sweden, in each case keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 England victory.
In February 2012, after the position was stripped from John Terry, some players and pundits backed Hart for England captaincy citing his strong performances and positive image.
Style of play
Considered to be one of England's and the Premier League's best goalkeepers in his prime, Hart was known in particular for his exceptional speed and shot-stopping ability, as well as his ability to rush off his line quickly and utilise his large frame to stop opponents' shots in one on one situations. In 2015, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon labelled Hart as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
However, Hart also came under criticism from pundits and managers throughout his career for his perceived poor distribution, positioning, and ability to defend crosses, as well as for his inconsistency and tendency to commit technical errors, in particular following some high–profile mistakes on long range shots at Euro 2016, after which he suffered a noticeable decline in the level of his performances.
Personal life
Hart married Kimberly Crew in Florence, Italy, in 2015. As of August 2016, they had one son.
In 2017, Hart was targeted in his car at a petrol station in Romford by thieves who stole his watch, wallet and mobile phone.
On 7 July 2018, Hart turned out for Shrewsbury Cricket Club during a Birmingham and District Premier League match against Knowle and Dorridge. He batted at number 9 – scoring 6 runs – and took a catch as the match ended in a draw.
Media career
Hart worked as a pundit for the BBC during their coverage of Euro 2024. In August 2024, he was announced as a pundit on the BBC's Match of the Day program from the beginning of the 2024–25 season.
Career statistics
Honours
Shrewsbury Town
Football Conference play-offs: 2004
Manchester City
Premier League: 2011–12, 2013–14
FA Cup: 2010–11; runner-up: 2012–13
Football League Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16
Tottenham Hotspur
EFL Cup runner-up: 2020–21
Celtic
Scottish Premiership: 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
Scottish Cup: 2022–23, 2023–24
Scottish League Cup: 2021–22, 2022–23
England U21
UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2009
Individual
PFA Team of the Year: 2005–06 League Two, 2009–10 Premier League, 2011–12 Premier League
Birmingham City Player of the Year: 2009–10
Manchester City Performance of the Season: 2010–11
Premier League Golden Glove: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15
PFA Scotland Team of the Year: 2022–23 Premiership