Celtic has confirmed that goalkeeper Joe Hart will retire by the season’s end. The ex-England and Manchester City player, currently 37, will conclude his three-year contract this summer.
Well, Joe Hart made his first-team debut for Shrewsbury in April 2004 and earned 75 caps for England during his career.
He followed Sir Kenny Dalglish and Andrei Kanchelskis in claiming winners’ medals in the three major trophies in England and Scotland when Celtic won the Scottish Cup last season.
Not to forget to mention, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said on the club’s official website:
“Joe has enjoyed a phenomenal career and I know will be a huge miss to the game when he finally retires from playing football in the summer.
“For all he has done in football, Joe deserves huge praise and congratulations, he has been such a brilliant asset to Celtic of course, and the wider game at the highest levels, domestically and internationally.
“But more than that, he is a tremendous man, just brilliant to work with, someone who I know has been a great team-mate to so many throughout his career and a player who never gives anything but his absolute best. Each and every day, his work ethic is an example to all in football.
🧤 Joe Hart announces that he will be retiring from playing football at the end of this season.
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— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) February 22, 2024
“While he will be a real loss on the pitch, I know he will stay in football in some form. It will always be part of his life and I am sure whatever he does after the summertime, everyone at the club wishes him nothing but the very best of success.
“I totally understand and respect Joe’s reasons for making this announcement and for being clear to the club and our fans on his future.
“I also know he will continue to work right through this season with the same intensity, commitment, and drive which he has always been known for.”
Hart has accumulated nearly 700 club appearances, representing Shrewsbury, Tranmere, Blackpool, Birmingham, Torino, Burnley, and Tottenham throughout his career. He was a fixture in England squads across four consecutive major tournaments from 2010 to 2016, with his final cap earned the following year.
