“Pep Guardiola Wasn’t Here To Give Me a Good Career”- Joe Hart Breaks Down His Manchester City Exit

Former England #1 Joe Hart hung his gloves last month after winning the Scottish Premiership with Celtic. A goalkeeper who bloomed wherever he was planted, Hart had the greatest time of his career at Manchester City, winning both the Premier League and the FA Cup twice. However, the Englishman’s Manchester City chapter came to an abrupt end in 2016 after coach Pep Guardiola took the team’s reins. As Hart recalled several times, he was not the kind of goalie the Spanish boss had wanted, and the latter showed him the door after a two-hour emotional chat. Now, the former City #1 says he respects the coach’s decision.

Furthermore, Hart lauded Guardiola’s thirst for victories. He added it was difficult for all players to survive and thrive under the Spaniard’s tough coaching system. Thereafter, the 37-year-old gave flowers to the ‘best players’ who thrived under the strict Spanish tactician.

Joe Hart says Pep Guardiola’s priority was the team’s success and not the players’ career

The X handle, City Report, close to the Sky Blues, has compiled Joe Hart’s recent recollection of his Etihad exit and interaction with Pep Guardiola. “It was a great man who had a vision that I didn’t fit into. Pep Guardiola told me that as much as he admired me as a person, he didn’t think I could fit into his system,” said Joe Hart. He continued, “He was here to win, he wasn’t here to give me a good career or look after me.” Then, the veteran goalie stated that those players who thrived in City under Guardiola were the best in the world.

Hart’s replacement, Ederson, midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne, City skipper Kyle Walker, and Bernardo Silva, among others, are the Cityzens who found excellence under Guardiola’s supervision. Coming back to the 37-year-old’s exit, he was not immediately sold to a different club in 2016. Rather, he went on loan to Torino and West Ham United. So what is the reason that Pep gave before dropping the two-time Premier League-winning goalie? Here, we have you covered.

Why did Guardiola want Hart out of Etihad?

Pep Guardiola’s gameplay focuses on building the attack from the back by relying heavily on short passes. This means, the goalkeeper will have to extensively contribute to ball-passing situations. As per Guardiola, Joe Hart did not have the perfect footwork to be a sweeper-keeper and adhere to the Spaniard’s coaching style. So he brought in veteran Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to replace Hart. However, Bravo’s stint at the Etihad did not go well. The two-time treble-winning boss had to wait till the next season in 2017 to hire Ederson as their new goalie.

After his loan spells, Joe Hart went on to join Burnley and, later, Tottenham Hotspur. With the Spurs, he won the EFL Cup in 2020. Later, in his last club, Celtic, the former English goalie, won seven silverware at Scotland. While Hart’s Etihad chapter ended abruptly, he’s one true City legend who will go down in the club’s history as one of its best goalies.