Manchester City owned Joe Hart has impressed on and off the pitch since arriving in Turin. When Pep Guardiola decided he didn’t want Hart in his squad, giving a pretty good indication he wouldn’t even be second choice, the options left in the market were few.
Hart had been with Manchester City since 2006 and been a very good goalkeeper for the club. There have been accusations the player was overrated, and even overrated himself, and those who prefer that train of thought were encouraged by Hart’s poor Euro 2016.
That was then further underlined by Guardiola deciding the England international wasn’t for him at Manchester City, and for a while Hart became something of a comedy figure, someone football followers could deride, without too much coming back their way.
Shipped off to Torino was seen as Hart clearly taking a step down. He was, Manchester City these days are a bigger club than Torino, who around the period of the Second World War were all conquering, winning 5 Serie A titles in a row, before the squad was involved in the Superga air disaster.
There were no survivors, Grande Torino was gone, and with it a good part of the Italian national team. Torino have only won one league title since.
Joe Hart has called Torino a romantic choice, explaining in Italy that he knows the history of the club and was aware of Superga. Since arriving he’s visited the disaster memorial as he works to learn the history of one of football’s most interesting clubs.
It seems like every day someone in Italy has something nice to say about Manchester City’s outcast and the lastest is Stefano Sorrentino, who himself once protected Torino’s goal.
Now at Chievo, Sorrentino was asked by Turin newspaper Tuttosport to give his impressions on the player.
“Applause to Toro. They took a great goalkeeper. Against Slovenia he was extraordinary, as everyone has said. But he didn’t surprise me at all. I’ve followed him with interest for years, I love watching the greatest goalkeepers because they always have something to teach. And Hart is part of my long time collection. I can steal more secrets in the coming months.”
Claudio Bravo maybe hasn’t settled as well in England and at Manchester City as Joe Hart has in Italy, but the Chilean himself is an excellent goalkeeper. Pep Guardiola believed the former Barcelona player could help with Manchester City’s game overall, and Hart couldn’t.
Asked by Tuttosport what he thinks of Guardiola’s decision, Sorrentino said: “It is not for me to comment on these choices. I say that the most important thing for a goalkeeper is to save. Now in modern football goalkeepers must know how to use their feet, but Hart knows it well from this point of view.
“I see no limits, technical shortcomings. I repeat: the goalkeeper must not score goals, but avoid them. This is the first thing that matters.”
In truth it could have gone very wrong for Hart, as Sorrentino himself says “The best school for goalkeepers is right here in Italy,” and that’s something the country have long prided themselves upon.
If Hart hadn’t been so likeable over his first few weeks at Torino, and hadn’t done too well, then there would have been many ready to point out that there a whole number of Italian goalkeepers far better, and earning far less money.
But instead they seem to be queuing up to praise him, whereas the lingering doubts are still prevalent in England. It’s a long season, and things can still go any number of ways, but Hart has already left an impression.
Sorrentino believes that Hart could be so good for Torino that Europe isn’t out of the question. That’s a very tough ask indeed, but if Hart and Torino somehow manage it then Our Joe could be spending another season perfecting his Italian.
