- Joe Hart was cut loose upon Pep Guardiola’s arrival
- Previously spent years at Man City’s number one
- Took time to recover from huge career setback
Pep Guardiola has revealed that he regrets his treatment of Joe Hart at Manchester City, but the goalkeeper still managed to change his fortunes before retirement.
There was a time when Joe Hart’s career could not be going much better. He was starting every week for Man City, and was England’s first choice under Roy Hodgson.
The shot-stopper won two Premier League titles, three domestic cups and three goalkeeper of the year awards with the Citizens.
However, Pep Guardiola’s arrival threw a spanner in the works, as he implemented a style which revolved around playing the ball out from the back.
Hart was a fine goalkeeper, but he was never gifted with the ball at his feet. Therefore, he was immediately sent on loan to Torino.
Guardiola went on to reveal that this had been one of the hardest decisions he had made as a manager, and Hart eventually departed the club on a permanent basis.
Joe Hart is Pep Guardiola’s biggest Man City regret
Since announcing his Man City exit, Guardiola has once again reflected on his decision to remove Hart from the club’s ranks.
Interestingly, the manager has now described it as his ‘one regret’ from a decade-long spell in Manchester.
Pep Guardiola reveals his one regret during his time as Manchester City boss 👀 pic.twitter.com/GwJqURG7oO
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 22, 2026
He told Sky Sports: “I want to confess something, I may have just one. I have regrets. When you take a lot of decisions, you make mistakes.
“But there is one regret that I have hid deep inside for many years. I didn’t give Joe Hart a chance to be with me, to prove himself, how good a keeper he was. And I should have done.
“Because all respect for Claudio [Bravo], respect for Ederson who came in, he was important, but in that moment I thought ‘okay Joe, let’s try to do it together, if it doesn’t work then okay, we change it because it happened,” Guardiola continued.
“But it happened, I have to take decisions and sometimes I’m not fair enough.”
Hart struggled after leaving Man City
Claudio Bravo turned out to be a far-from-ideal replacement for Hart. However, when Ederson arrived, it was hard to argue that offloading the England international had been the wrong decision.
After all, Hart failed to make an impression on loan at West Ham, before spending two seasons at Burnley with very little success.
Surprisingly, the now 39-year-old was able to join Tottenham Hotspur, but his role there was as a rarely used backup goalkeeper to Hugo Lloris. In total, he made just 10 appearances.
Then when Nuno Espirito Santo came in, Hart experienced the Guardiola treatment all over again, as he was cast aside almost immediately.
Hart considered retiring after yet another setback, but he ended up signing for Celtic after the arrival of Ange Postecoglou from Yokohama F. Marinos.
Hart’s revival at Celtic
Moving to Scotland allowed Hart to play first-team football again, but his first season was a mixed bag.
The goalkeeper did look a little rusty, and he made a few errors, especially when it came to using his feet to get attacks up and running from deep areas.
However, Hart was sensational in his second campaign at Celtic, proving that he was still a very talented shot-stopper. It was partially thanks to him that the Hoops won a domestic treble.
Despite Postecoglou’s departure, Hart spent one final year at Celtic under the leadership of Brendan Rodgers.
The club won two trophies that year, and Hart kept a clean sheet in his final match – a 1-0 Scottish Cup final victory over Rangers.
No bitterness from Hart towards Man City
Guardiola may not have given Hart a chance, but the Shrewsbury Town academy graduate has always shown his support for Man City.
Even when he was still playing in England, Hart would appear as a TV pundit to analyse the club’s matches.
And today, he continues to speak well of the team who helped him truly kickstart his career and become a global star.
In fact, Hart has been so professional that many City fans have called for him to be made an official ambassador of the club.
Whether he eventually takes on such a role or not, Hart’s contributions to the club will not be forgotten, and he will always be remembered fondly on the blue side of the city.
