Joe Hart was a 23-year-old in the Champions League and felt he could take on the world. Now, having suffered some dips in his career since before returning to the highs at Parkhead, the Celtic keeper has a more rounded outlook.
He’s still thrilled to be back, he’s just seeing it differently. And he insists boss Ange Postecoglou has the squad believing they can have a real crack at the big guns. Hart and the squad are looking forward to Thursday’s group-stage draw.
At the age of 35, the Hoops No.1 is honest enough to confess that he felt those days might be gone. Hart said: “It’s crazy. There’s so much going on and you don’t even know who’s going to be in it yet. I live right in the moment and, even when it’s drawn, you’re not going to be playing them for a couple of weeks. But it’s a great time. It’s where the club wants to be, it’s where we want to be as players.
“These are definitely good times for me. I’ll be honest, there’s not many times when I’ve actually not been having a good time in football. From the outside, there have been moments in my career when I haven’t played. But constantly, I like to be part of a team, whatever way that might be.
“I’m playing football as a job, like wow. What a great feeling. I’ve always really enjoyed it. But maybe when I was younger, I can probably liken it to the first time I was getting in the Champions League when I was 23, you just expect the world to keep giving. That was how I felt at the time, whether that’s wrong or right.
“But I just wanted more, I felt like I could take on the world. I’m at a different stage of my life in terms of family and how I feel about things. But it’s still a great feeling, it’s still an exciting feeling.
“We grow up and we evolve. I don’t know whether I’m being silly doing this. But I don’t think about it because it’s not happened yet.
“There’s competition for places, so I’m literally just one game at a time and I’d love to have that feeling again. If you asked me a few years ago if I was going to be playing Champions League football, if I was giving an honest answer I’d say no.
“I’ve always backed my ability but football is about opportunities and taking them, believing in projects, I’m here and I’m ready. We’re all going to feel it. The club’s excited. Liking it to full circle, when we got to the Champions League with Manchester City that was the first time the club had ever done it.
“This club’s used to it and has had five seasons without it. So that feeling’s quite similar. What a great feeling, what a great time to be involved at a club like this.”
Postecoglou is determined that Celtic take their attacking style into the groups and fear no-one. Hart continued: “He is us and we are him, so we are rolling as a unit. He hasn’t got us feeling like we can beat anyone but he has certainly got us feeling if we are together, we can take anyone on and give a good account of ourselves.
“He doesn’t like putting limits on what we can achieve and I like living in that world. I’m fully aware I’ve not got as much to look forward to as, for example, Jota, career wise.
“But I love stepping up and going into every game with excitement and not knowing what will come next. The squad is unbelievable. I can speak from behind the scenes about people’s energy and mentality and it’s superb.”
Hart, of course, could land old club Manchester City in the draw but said: “That part of my life I’m very proud of and I’ve got endless love for that club. But life goes on, as was proven by how I left the place.
“It’s a superb football club, it’s a superb set up, there’s lot of people I get on with there. However, there’s certainly no one in there that I don’t want a part of playing against.
“My focus is on what we do, how we prepare and what we can bring to the table. My undying love will forever be with the (Man City) club but when it comes to team football, I represent Celtic.”
Hart did not have saves to make as the Hoops went back to the top of the table by beating Hearts. He said: “It was okay. We played well, definitely, but not quite to the levels we wanted to. Sometimes teams make it difficult for us but we got the job done.
“There’s no point getting frustrated. We just keep going and we know there’s going to be another attack.
“None of us are perfect. It’s great to be part of a team that you can tell we’re all trying to do the right things. You can’t get frustrated at that. There’s going to be times we might not win, we might even lose. But as long as we’re doing the right things, we back ourselves.”
