Pep Guardiola Opens Up on Joe Hart Regret and Man City Legacy

Guardiola apologizes for handling of Joe Hart exit before City departure  

Ahead of his final game at Man City, Pep Guardiola says he regrets how Joe Hart’s exit was handled and admits it was his biggest mistake at the club.

Pep Guardiola says failing to give Joe Hart a chance was his biggest error at Manchester City, as he prepares to leave after 10 years in charge...

Pep Guardiola said his biggest regret during ten years at Manchester City was not giving Joe Hart a chance before letting him leave.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola explained that making so many decisions inevitably leads to mistakes. He shared this ahead of his final Premier League game in charge against Aston Villa on Sunday.

“There is one regret that I have deep inside for many ‌years, that I didn’t give ⁠a chance to ‌Joe Hart to be with me to prove himself how good a keeper he was. I could have said, 'Okay, Joe, let’s try to do it together. If it doesn’t work, okay, we’ll change it.' ⁠But it happened.

“I have to take decisions and sometimes I’m not fair enough. Maybe with time then and learning... but I regret it from that ‌time.”

After taking over in 2016, Guardiola sent England goalkeeper Joe Hart out on loan to Torino and West Ham. Hart left City permanently for Burnley in 2018, having made 348 appearances for the club over 12 years.

He later had a short spell at Tottenham before finishing his career at Celtic. 

Guardiola, who led City to six Premier League titles, a Champions League, and the Club World Cup, said managing human emotions was the hardest part of the job. “If in that I failed, I do apologise, but it never, never was my intention or the intention of the club,” the 55-year-old Spaniard added.