Former Man City And England Goalkeeper Joe Hart To Retire At End Of Season

Celtic and former England goalkeeper Joe Hart has announced he will retire from football at the end of this season.

Feb 22, 2024 - 20:25
 0  23
Former Man City And England Goalkeeper Joe Hart To Retire At End Of Season

Hart turns 37 in April and has been playing for Celtic since the summer of 2021.

He began his career with Manchester City, where he won two Premier League titles, two League Cups and one FA Cup, and has also had spells at Birmingham City, Torino, West Ham United, Burnley and Tottenham Hotspurs.

Hart has been capped 75 times by the England national team.

Hart told Celtic TV: "I wanted to get the message out as of June I am going to stop playing football. This is something that I have thought about for a while, there's no right or wrong time is there?

"There is obviously a conversation around the goalkeeping position for next season and I think it's really important that with the blessing of the club we get the message out and it takes one thing out of what people are going to speculate over.

"Physically I feel great, I feel as good as I possibly can do. For my age and what I have done to my body, I have been on the bench since I was 15, have been involved in professional football every day since I was 16.

"I have gone down every avenue to keep myself in the best possible shape to give my all on game day and I do really think I am at that peak, but I am aware time waits for no man and I don't want my body to be retiring me. That was one of the key factors, thinking I can smash through the finish line.

"Mentally I am in the one place I like to be, I am in a place of clarity. Obviously I have thought about this a lot. There's loads of key factors that have come into it but I think the right time is now."

Hart has won two Scottish Premiership titles, one Scottish Cup and two Scottish League Cups during his time at Celtic.