Gael Clichy believes the Premier League has not had a better traditional goalkeeper than Joe Hart in the past few years.
Hart, who is currently Celtic’s number one was City’s starting goalkeeper from the 2010/2011 to the 2015/2016 season.
However, with Pep Guardiola’s arrival at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, the Englishman was instantly shipped out on loan to Torino and West Ham United the following season before being sold to Burnley in 2018.
Gael Clichy says the Premier League has not had a better traditional goalkeeper than Joe Hart in the last few years
But during his time at the Etihad Stadium, the Shrewsbury Town academy graduate was a fan favourite, known for his excellent shotstopping ability, commanding presence in the box and leadership abilities.
During his time at the club, Hart was City’s first-choice goalkeeper as they lifted two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two Carabao Cup trophies while winning four successive Golden Gloves.
Gael Clichy, who played and trained with Joe Hart at Manchester City sang his praises.
“He wasn’t so blessed in terms of playing out from the back, but in terms of pure goalkeeping skills, I don’t think I’ve played with a better goalkeeper and I don’t think we’ve seen a better goalkeeper in England over the past few years”, he said on Premier League Productions’ The Final Word show.
“He’s still playing in Scotland and what a player he is. A great lad, a great leader, amazing.”
Joe Hart should be viewed much differently than he is
Gael Clichy is right to have lauded Joe Hart the way he did.
As far as traditional goalkeepers go, especially at a time when ball-playing goalkeepers were a rarity in football, Hart was one of the best in the world.
However, due to Pep Guardiola’s decision to send him out on loan due to this very reason, it seems like Joe Hart is rarely ever spoken about in such glowing terms nowadays.
Sure, the ageing goalkeeper’s career took a turn for the worse ever since his loan spell to Torino.
But at City, for six years, Joe Hart was consistently brilliant and a mainstay in one of the best teams in Europe, which is praiseworthy to say the least.
