Joe Hart: 'All I want is to be a big part of a club ... hope burns through me' - MW

Former England goalkeeper has started three games this season but he is still only 33 and feels he will have to move abroad to get back into the big time

More than 500 days have passed since Joe Hart last played in a Premier League game and so, on Zoom, he leans forward when I say that the hurt of not being picked must eat away at him. "Yeah, but I embrace that feeling," he says intently. “I'm glad I feel like that because you need that fire in you. You almost need that arrogance to think: ‘Why am I not being picked?’ The reason that I'm at the top fighting, or have been at the top, is because that’s in me. ” Hart is 33 and he has been playing professional football for more than 16 years.

He made his debut for Shrewsbury the day after he turned 17 and since then has won two Premier League titles with Manchester City, four Golden Gloves and 75 caps for England. After 12 years with City he played for Torino, West Ham and Burnley. But Hart has been in goal for Burnley only three times this season - a Carabao Cup defeat to Sunderland last August and two FA Cup ties, against Peterborough and Norwich, in January. He has been on the bench for all the other games.

A simplistic assessment of Hart’s career would suggest it splits into two halves - before Pep and after Pep. Hart was told clearly by Guardiola in July 2016 that he had no future at City. Guardiola cannot be accused of being wrong for, in Ederson, he now has an outstanding goalkeeper who is highly accomplished with his feet. But Hart is intelligent and interested in exploring the blurred boundaries of football. Some of his greatest games - including the 2015 Champions League night at the Camp Nou when Lionel Messi described him as a "phenomenon" - followed soon after adversity. He is also keen to explain that, despite his predicament, his desire has intensified.

Crane It was stronger. Locking me up made me realize how much I wanted to play football, he said. All I want to do is a big part of something. I understand that I will not be part of Real Madrid. I don't think I've lost the ability, but I know how football works. I just want to be a big part of a club and dedicate all my stuff to them. That hope burned within me.

Meanwhile, Hart is opening - in this interview and in a BBC program on football and mental health to be shown on Thursday. He is one of the footballers that Prince William met on the show though, when he repeated here, he didn't have major depression. His career has collapsed and he wants to share the lessons he has learned. Hart admitted, it was definitely my lowest point, and I was sad when I didn't play. But he sees his long-term absence from the first team as a challenge rather than a dark cloud. Mentally, because of what I was in position when I flew higher and won tournaments, I felt really comfortable talking about my head space. But I also need to say because football is difficult.

In the 2013-2014 season, when he was abandoned by Manuel Pellegrini in City, Hart felt angry. I really know how to handle difficult moments. You just want to bat people away: 'I'm fine. Leave me alone. It really bothered me and a little bit of anger came. For the first time, my position was at stake.

The immediate reaction in my mind was: ‘This can happen. They can get me off the team. I tried to train more. Be brave. I am seeking, clinging. My agent suggested I speak [to a sports psychologist], who calmed me by asking, 'Do you know how to get on target?' I said: 'Of course.' He said: 'Isn't that the case?' It turned out that it was the new goalkeeping coach who tried different styles. It made me realize that I would have to pay for the team if I continued to accomplish the goal. Instead of breaking my path through a problem, I need to have stocks.

I had a good relationship with the manager and we decided to get ourselves right from football so that when I came back, I could only enjoy playing again. That when I was at its best. After five or six matches I have returned.

Hart helped City win the second Premier League title in May 2014 - one of the few survivors who played for the club before they were taken over by the Abu Dhabi team in 2008. Key player when they won the first title in 2012 and played under six managers before Guardiola changed everything.

Of all the ups and downs, does Hart still meet the same psychologist? On a regular basis, I see Jamie often. He became a huge part of my life and someone I will always work with. Having a sports psychologist helped me realize that you can definitely reduce the load if you rely on people. It is very powerful when you open it.

Lessons to help him now. I tried and came back in the team. And if I didn't, there was always another transfer opportunity. There is no point in sulking. I am still part of the team. It gives you some power if you have a conversation with a manager. It is very important to get there when you do it well. But it is even more important when you are not doing well.

“I want people who haven’t experienced any adversity in football to learn from this. Something all very well riding the wave but it won’t last for ever. Every professional alternates spoken to, has had this ride where nothing can go wrong. Inevitably, created hard to maintain. How we react is something I'm keen on trying to help people with - giving them the tools to deal with those situations. ”

Being on the bench as a goalkeeper is a lonely place which few people understand. "It is hard but I'm going to be on a [BBC] program with guys who have real problems," Hart points out.

His last Premier League game was on Boxing Day 2018, when Burnley lost 5-1 at home to Everton. Hart winces. “I remember every second,” he says before taking me through a painstaking recollection of the five goals. “I spoke to Sean [Dyche] after he dropped me because I felt festd had a strong season. The results weren’t great, but we were in transition going into Europe. We were trying to play more football and it didn’t really work.

“He just said:‘ Look, Joe, I think productiveve been fantastic but for the good of the team I need to try this one last change. ’Lo and behold Tom [Heaton] came in and did great. The team picked up and went back to their old ways.

“It was tough. That’s no secret. Pure game-time is difficult because, with the greatest respect to Burnley, they cant quite a cup team. Staying in the Premier League is all important. Something just not my time right now. But I'm determined it will come again. ”

Did he and Guardiola also talk openly before City sent him on loan to Torino? “Yeah, I made sure we had dialogue. I certainly backed myself to the hilt when we spoke. I listened to what he had to say. There’s more to it than me not being as good with my feet as he wants from a goalkeeper. I realized he needed to make his stamp at City. He had a direction he wanted to go and he’s not exactly struggled since, has he? ”

Hart laughs wryly. Had he been worried about his future as soon as Guardiola was appointed? “I was fairly concerned. Lots of important people tried to reassure me. But you just have a feeling, don't you? I came back late from the [2016] Euros and he made it clear when I got there that I needed to be out by that window. That’s Pep's brilliance. He makes decisions and stands by them. I don't dislike him. We get on as men and we both love football. ”

Hart spent a season at Torino and said: “I enjoyed being part of that club. In terms of being in a different country, experiencing a different culture, playing a different league, I absolutely loved it. Something definitely something briefd love to do again. ” Are there clubs looking to sign him next season? “I believe there will be. But they all need to work out exactly what the hell’s going on. I like to think I'm a good catch. I'm on a free contract, legve got experience and real hunger. The Premier League has been great for me but I'm more than willing to spread my wings. ”

At the mention of Serie A, La Liga or the Bundesliga, he says: “I'm totally open. I just want to play at the highest level I can. In England, I don't feel I am going to be able to do that. Maybe if I had never achieved what Apparve done in this league I might not be so ready to step away. Don’t get me wrong. Althoughd love to have another big chance in England, but it could be difficult. ”

Ian Woan, Burnley’s assistant manager tested positive for coronavirus last week, but Hart and his teammates are well. “We quite back training and we’ve got another Covid test tomorrow. This will be the process until we can move forward. ”

How does Hart feel about the return of the Premier League? “That's a really interesting time. We quite all involved in this once-in-a-lifetime thing. Right now, the most important thing is health, and helping people that are putting their lives on the line. As long as those guys are looked after, then maybe we’ve got a chance of playing football. ”

During the lockdown his interest in psychology has been deepened by watching The Last Dance - about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. “I am fascinated by human arms and elite sport. Occve been blown away by the Jordan documentary. What a beast. What a man. What a one-off mindset. It must have been painful to be that direct and aggressive every day. He absolutely took it to a new level. ”