“Get the ball. Move the f**king ball.”
And some people say the English don’t have a way __with words. It was in the tunnel of the Stade Bollaert-Delelis that Joe Hart issued the above orders to his international teammates just before they entered a battlefield they would share __with Wales. Two hours later, Roy Hodgson’s soldiers trudged off the pitch, battered and bruised, victory secured, but barely. The Welsh had landed some shots of their own, one of which Hart allowed to squeeze underneath him. Privates Vardy and Sturridge would rescue him, but the goalkeeper had suffered mortal wounding.
Wounding to his self-esteem, that is. Hodgson admitted after the game that Hart “apologised” at half-time for conceding Gareth Bale’s rather tame free-kick. If that was a body blow to the Manchester City keeper’s ego, his mistake in the next round against Iceland was a knockout blow in every sense. A nation watched in horror as Kolbeinn Sigþórsson’s weak effort trickled into the England goal, Hart having been beaten once more. Only this time, his teammates would not rescue him. England were out, and Hart was the main culprit.
It became a running joke throughout Euro 2016 and in the tournament’s aftermath, but Hart immediately sought to ‘front up’, to admit his mistakes, confront them like a man and overcome them. “I’ve got to be saving the second goal. I’ve got to hold my hands up to that and I apologise for ultimately costing us the game and the tournament,” he said. “We’re going to have to show who we are as footballers and men and try to come out the other side.”
The 29-year-old knew what awaited him when he came out of the other side, of course. In February, it was announced that Manuel Pellegrini would be stepping aside for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Hart’s performances in the summer were hardly the perfect audition for City’s new production.
So it proved. Hart first lost his starting place to Willy Caballero, and then Claudio Bravo arrived from Barcelona. It soon became clear that his future would lie elsewhere. There was no bad blood whatsoever – this was no Guardiola versus Yaya Toure – but this old relic of Manchester City’s past was simply not compatible with the new manager.
Hart stood at a career crossroads. One street was marked ‘stick’ – stay in the Premier League, stay under the microscope, stay in the spotlight. The other street was marked ‘twist’ – step outside your comfort zone, step up to a challenge, step into the unknown. The former may have seen him end up in a relegation battle with Sunderland; who knew where the latter would take him?
The decision seemed a simple one, but only because it was assumed that he would remain in England. In hindsight, leaving – even if only for a year – was the perfect escape route. Had Hart remained in the Premier League, his every catch and fumble would be scrutinised. This was the man who, by his own admission, had cost his country at a major tournament; moving abroad allowed him to wipe the slate clean. Staying in England would have merely invited more pressure, while joining Torino has helped him embark on a journey that promises to repair a reputation, rebuild a career and, most importantly, restore a self-confidence that was once on the brink.
Not that life in Italy started in impressive fashion. When Hart made a costly mistake on his debut for The Maroons, flapping at a cross and allowing Andrea Masiello to equalise for Atalanta in a game they would eventually win, England as a collective tutted and shook their heads in a knowing manner. Another game, another error.
If it took character for Hart to depart for a brief spell in Italy, it took commendable fortitude for him to overcome that mistake. In the following four games, he has kept two clean sheets, and Torino are undefeated. That run includes victories over Roma and Fiorentina, with Hart playing a key role in both wins. Such form has left the club dreaming of an unlikely European berth, and has seen Hart himself quickly win over the fans.
Tribute from @1894Group_MCFC and Curva Maratona to a common impeccable heroe named Joe Hart! #TorinoRoma #CTWD pic.twitter.com/T9L0G0IylS
— Renato Tubère (@RenatoTubere) September 25, 2016
But do not be fooled, this is not a man who has transformed his game in the face of intense criticism this summer. Recent reports in Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport paint a picture of the boy we watched grow into a man under the rather public glare of the Premier League, praising Hart for his ‘imperious’ performances. Manager Sinisa Mihaljovic made reference to his “enthusiasm”, “spirit”, “experience”, “charisma” and “presence” upon his August unveiling. His pass completion rate in Italy is 57.7%; Guardiola will point to Bravo, to the Chilean’s success rate of 77.8% this season, and insist that he was right all along. He was indeed right, but that never made Hart wrong. It simply meant that he was not the right keeper for Guardiola or for Manchester City in 2016 and beyond.
The 29-year-old left for Italy as the proud, cavalier caricature of a shouty Englishman, the first-choice goalkeeper for his country. He will not return as Charles Joseph John Hart, a man reborn through his European escapades; he will return as the same old soldier, who lost the battle but could still win the war.
Matt Stead