After his heroics on Wednesday night saved Manchester City from defeat against Borussia Dortmund, Joe Hart is the name on everyone’s lips. Fans, players and pundits nationwide all flocked to twitter to praise the twenty-five-year-old goalkeeper, including fellow England team mate Wayne Rooney.
“Joe Hart has been incredible. Best keeper in the world.”
His manager Roberto Mancini was also full of praise for Hart. “Joe saved us. He did well. We deserved to concede three or four goals. We didn’t play well.”
Thus, having made all the headlines for his remarkable display, Rooney’s comments amongst others have posed a bigger question about Hart’s abilities… Just how good is Joe Hart? Is he really the best goalkeeper in the world?
Hart’s story is a classic coming of age tale, of a youngster with great promise who has learnt his trade in the lower leagues, making his way through the England youth ranks, before taking his chance at the highest stage. Having started out his career as a seventeen-year-old at his hometown club Shrewsbury, Hart signed for Manchester City in 2006, making short trips out on loan to Tranmere Rovers and Blackpool. He became City’s number one under Sven Goren-Eriksson, who touted him as “one of the biggest [goalkeeping] talents in the country”.
Hart’s real break came on his loan spell to Birmingham City. Having made his England debut against Trinidad and Tobago in 2008, he lost his place at City to Shay Given and subsequently moved out on loan to the newly promoted side. After a shaky start, Hart found some formidable form for the Blues, being named the club’s Player of the Year, as they not only stayed in the Premier League but also broke a club record for going twelve games unbeaten.
Since returning to Manchester for the 2010-11 season, Hart has never looked back. He quickly established himself as not just City’s number one but also England’s, having previously been third choice at the 2010 World Cup. He finished the Premier League season by winning the ‘Golden Glove’ thanks to his eighteen clean sheets and then last season his seventeen clean sheets helped Manchester City to clinch the League title.
Thus, having steadily emerged into the public eye and onto the highest footballing stage of all, English football fans will not have been surprised by his astounding display on Wednesday night. His performances for Birmingham, Manchester City and also for England over the past two seasons had already suggested he was a goalkeeper with world class potential, even before his admirable efforts at Euro 2012.
But is he, as Rooney suggests, the best goalkeeper in the world?
Since the retirement of Edwin Van der Sar and Petr Cech’s slight decline over recent years, at the very least Hart can claim to be the Premier League’s best goalkeeper. Although Chelsea fans may back their Czech number one, mistakes at Euro 2012 and a dip in form and confidence since the Stephen Hunt incident, give Hart the edge here. Likewise, Liverpool’s Reina is undoubtedly a great keeper, yet he is only third choice for his national team.
Along with promising talents such as Newcastle’s Tim Krul and Swansea’s Michel Vorm, two new additions to the league may also provide competition for Hart; French football fans may even be bold enough to suggest Hugo Lloris is one of the world’s best keepers, although he will need to rise above Brad Friedel in the Tottenham pecking order before he can make a realistic claim. QPR and Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar was once himself rated as a world class performer, however, his career appears to be on the decline and Inter Milan’s decision to let him go implies that they no longer hold him in such high regard.