Nice to see Joe Hart being praised by Italian World Cup legend Gianluigi Buffon in the papers today….
Goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon has claimed fellow shot stopper Joe Hart is back to his best after ‘finding the love’ since moving to Parkhead this season in a deal worth just over £1m from Tottenham Hotspur.
The Italian hero, who picked up 176 international caps for his country who he represented for over 20 years, knows a thing or two about goalkeeping, and is rightly regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He is one of only a handful of players to ever play over 1,100 games throughout his professional career.
Last season Celtic endured a goalkeeping crisis as Neil Lennon often switched between Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain and Conor Hazard, with none of the trio ever able to impress enough to become the undisputed Number One.
Buffon, who at the age of 44 years old is still going strong now back at his first club Parma, reckons the player who was both Manchester City and England’s Number One never went away, he just needed to find a team where he could regain his confidence with once again. As reported by Daily Record, Buffon said:
“The way Joe is playing this season is no surprise to me he has always been a great goalkeeper. He just needed a place to call home again. He is a player I watched develop and I saw he had everything that was needed to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
“It was not that long ago that I called him one of the top three or four goalkeepers in the world. Along with (Manuel) Neuer, (David) De Gea and (Jan) Oblak, these guys were the next generation who could take over from myself and (Iker) Casillas.
Captain Gianluigi Buffon of Italy (R) and Joe Hart of England shake hands as they wait in the tunnel prior to the international friendly match between Italy and England at Juventus Arena on March 31, 2015 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
“That player who was No.1 for Manchester City and England didn’t go away. He just needed to find his confidence again. I have always said you have to be a little bit crazy to be a goalkeeper because you are so isolated.
“As a defender, you are part of a defence. As a midfielder, part of a midfield. But the goalkeeper is the isolated player on the field.
“You make a mistake and all eyes are on you. That is what happened with Joe. He made a couple of mistakes and people just decided he was not top level anymore.
“He needed a bit of love to find his level again and he has obviously got that love at Celtic. The top player is back and it is good to see.”
Hart has been nothing short of brilliant in the Celtic goals this season. He has never let the team down once, often pulling off top drawer saves at cruical times this season, including that one against Sakala during the Glasgow Derby on Sunday. He has been almost flawless with the ball at his feet, never panicking and getting play started from the back at pace. He also seems to be very vocal and good at organising the players in front of him, something very important in this slightly inexperienced Celtic side.
He has been part of a vastly improved Celtic rearguard this season that has only conceded 19 goals so far in our league campaign. This has been a vital part in lifting Celtic to the commanding position they are currently in. Buffon is right in his view of Hart. Joe has stated himself how much he enjoys being at Celtic and how the club have brought the best out of him. The Celtic fans love him and you get the feeling he loves us back.
The brutal assessment of his skills that former Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espirito Santo gave Joe Hart at the start of the season, comments that made the former England number one realise his time at the club was up, may just have been one of the best thing that has happened Celtic this season. We got a goalkeeper with fire in his belly who just needed a club and a fan base to love him once more. Both sides are reaping the rewards now.
Conall McGinty
Joe Hart completed more passes (33) than any other Celtic player on Sunday
Slightly interesting
— celticbynumbers (@Alan_Morrison67) April 6, 2022
