‘Looking forward’ - Celtic hero Joe Hart discusses next career move after retiring from football

On 25 May 2024, Celtic hero Joe Hart bowed out of the professional game with a 1-0 victory and a clean sheet in the Scottish Cup final against bitter-rivals Rangers.

There are few better ways for a Celtic player to end their career as the 75-time England international celebrated his seventh career trophy with the Hoops and the 12th of an incredible 21-year career in the sport.

Hart is one of the most successful goalkeepers of his generation and as he hangs up his gloves he insists that he wants to give something back to the game. The 37-year-old claims he has deliberately avoided the temptation to go into coaching but insists that he wants to continue talking about the art of goalkeeping and the way that has evolved in the game from his debut in 2004 to an era where many keepers are also expected to be just as good with their feet as they are with their hands.

The former Manchester City star is joining BBC Sport’s punditry team for Euro 2024 and claims he can’t wait to get stuck in.

He told BBC Sport: “The reason I wanted to get into punditry is to educate people who are interested in goalkeeping, and hopefully I can help people understand the position a bit better.

“I'll be trying my best to do that by giving a goalkeeper's perspective, which can be very different to that of an outfield player. Sometimes when a goal goes in, the analysis you see on TV is about how the keeper should have done better, or has made a mistake.

“That can be the case, of course, and I am not here to protect goalkeepers from criticism, but part of the way I analysed my own performances during my career was to work out exactly why things happened.

“There is often a lot more to a goal than might first appear and I want to try to explore and explain that, and all the different variables that can affect the goalkeeper - from the positions they take up and how they work with their defenders, to the movement of the ball and everything else that is happening in front of them.

“These are things that might seem simple but they really aren't - and I am willing to go into that detail.”

Hart was a member of four England squads throughout his career. He played back-up to David James and Rob Green at the 2010 World Cup as England were eliminated in the round of 16.

While in Euro 2012, the World Cup in 2014 and Euro 2016, he was England’s first choice goalkeeper in three tournaments which saw the Three Lions fail to advance beyond the quarter-finals.

Hart added: “Although I went to four major finals with England, being on this side of things at a tournament is all new to me.

“In the past I have just been focused on myself, and what I needed to do as a goalkeeper, rather than finding out very much about other players from other teams we weren't up against. But as I've said, I am not a goalie anymore, so I am looking forward to that changing when I am in Germany.

“I am going to listen to everyone around me, make the most of their experience and take in as much as possible - I am open-minded, open-eyed and looking forward to everything the next few weeks might bring.”

On England’s chances in the tournament

Joe Hart says that one of the reasons he is most looking forward to being a pundit is that he believes England have a great chance of lifting the tournament.

Hart heaped praise on Southgate and said: “I know a lot of our players well from my time with the squad, especially some of the defenders - Kyle Walker and John Stones regularly played in front of me at international level - and I've known Kieran Trippier since we were teenagers at Manchester City.

“They are top-class players who will have a huge say in how we do this time. I am looking forward to watching them from a personal point of view, but also to assess them from a professional viewpoint, to see how much they have grown since I was last with them.

“I played under Gareth Southgate too, and I feel like his confidence has increased a lot since my time with the squad, when he had just stepped up from the Under-21s to take the England job on an interim basis.

“He's had success at the past two tournaments, reaching the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup and then the final at the last European Championship, and it also seems like everyone loves playing under him, which is so important.

“For everything that is talked about by people outside the squad, it is what happens in the camp that really matters and Gareth has built an environment where they will feel safe and will be very focused.

“It looks like the manager and players understand each other and what it takes to go the distance, so they will be able to put themselves in the best position to execute all the planning and hard work that they have already put in.”

‘I want Celtic pals to do well’

Despite England’s long-running rivalry with Scotland at international level, Hart insists that he wants to see his former Celtic team mates do well at the tournament in Germany.

“I'll be watching Scotland closely too, of course, because of my old team-mates from Celtic who are in their team. How Scotland do doesn't bother me, but I want my pals to do well.

“I've got personal connections with players from lots of other teams at these Euros too, and it's the same for all of them. Ultimately they are my friends and I want what is best for them, no matter what country they are from.

“In the past I had to face my mates at tournaments and try to get the better of them, so what will be quite refreshing this time is that I won't have to put those friendships aside.

“I'm not on the pitch this time, so it doesn't matter what I do. Instead I can just be happy for my pals to be out there on the biggest stage, and fingers crossed they will perform.”