When Pep Guardiola took charge of Manchester City in 2016, one of the first things he banned was pizza. Like some of his pizza-loving peers, Joe Hart had his ‘head in hand’ moment with the new circular of the Spaniard. After all, pizza was one of the five foods Joe Hart couldn’t live without.
He lost his pizza, lost his place and ultimately his City contract under Guardiola, but that didn’t change Joe Hart’s fitness junkie behaviour.
Fast-forward to 2024; he looks just like he looked eight years ago if not better. Social media certainly thinks so and when he made his punditry debut with the BBC before the Euro 24 game between England and Serbia, they took notice and were blown away by the sheer presence of the former England no.1.
Without any delay, netizens flocked to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) and posted their stamp of approval on Hart’s posture.
During BBC’s broadcast, his performance on the analyst desk and commentary was as vivid as his playing career. After his 12th major title win last season, Joe bid the field farewell.
His new innings as a pundit got off to a flying start like the Three Lions he is so passionate about. With his knowledge and expertise in seeing the whole game in front of him from under the posts, the seamless transition came as no surprise.
Hart’s straight posture in a green tee and black circled tattoos on his forearm attracted the attention of the viewers, but the story of that journey remained untold for many years.
He might be retired now, but till his final day, Hart believed in work and how important it was to work harder during the off-season. According to Joe Hart, the pre-season is not about getting back to fitness, it is about getting match sharp. As a pro, the need to be fit is a 24×7-365-day thing.
Diving deeper into his fitness routine, Hart mentioned the importance of being a frequent gym worker and an adept swimmer. His work ethic was universally praised and even his former manager, Manuel Pellegrini, couldn’t disagree with that.
“At some point for some reason, he had to go on the bench for three or four games, but he was working even from the bench,” said Pellegrini before the game between Celtic and his Real Betis side in the 2021 Europa League campaign. “He increased the work and was talking with the goalkeeper who replaced him, trying to improve everything he did,” the former City boss added further.
The testament to Hart’s work is the fact that Manchester City even has a training pitch named after him. In 2018, City legends Mike Summerbee and Alex Williams unveiled a mosaic of the 2-time Premier League champion, a fitting tribute to their former stalwart in goal.
Now that Hart has taken the seat of a pundit, the prolonged hours on it might be detrimental to his physique. But his frequent appearances on TV might give the parents an example of proper posture to motivate those unruly kids with bad postures and all.