Celtic’s seasoned goalkeeper, Joe Hart, has confirmed that he will hang up his gloves at the conclusion of the current season. The former England international and Manchester City stalwart, now 36, will see his three-year contract with Celtic expire in the summer. Hart, who made his first-team debut for Shrewsbury in April 2004 and earned 75 caps for England, revealed his retirement decision in an interview with Celtic TV.

This announcement comes as Celtic navigates through a successful season, defending their Premiership title and vying for success in the Scottish Cup.

Hart shared, ‘This is something I have thought about for a while. There’s no right or wrong time, is there? But the way this club works is that I’m playing out at the moment. There’s so much on it. There’s so much heart and soul poured into what we’re doing as a football club.’

He expressed gratitude for the club’s open-mindedness and the understanding he received from key figures such as Brendan Rodgers and goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods. Hart emphasized his continued commitment to the team’s ongoing campaigns, stating, ‘I’m so up for it. I’m still so involved and still so committed.’

Hart, who secured winners’ medals in the three major trophies in England and Scotland with Celtic’s Scottish Cup triumph last season, joined the Scottish side from Tottenham in 2021. Despite feeling ‘great’ physically, the veteran goalkeeper believes the timing is right to announce his retirement and alleviate any speculation about his future.

He concluded, ‘I appreciate the open-mindedness of the club and hopefully the open-mindedness of the fans when they see this and understand that this is not someone who’s checking out; this is someone who’s just letting people know because they think it’s important.’

Fans and social media handles have reacted to Hart’s retirement announcement with videos and mentions of his major accolades.

(Inputs from agencies)