Without a question, one of the best goalkeepers in Premier League history is Joe Hart. Even if the former England number one’s career was falling apart at an alarming rate when Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City, his best years were unquestionably brilliant.
Furthermore, with his four victories in 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, and 2014–15, he holds the joint-most Premier League Golden Glove awards in history, a record only surpassed by former Arsenal and Chelsea glovesman Petr Cech.
As with any high-achieving football player, Hart’s intelligence and footballing IQ were major factors in his success as one of the world’s finest goalkeepers in the early 2010s, in addition to the fact that he was a superb goalkeeper for the eight-time Premier League winners at the height of his abilities.
Hart’s Knowledge of The Game
The goalkeeper’s intelligence was beyond others
Born in Shrewsbury Hart may not have possessed the footwork Guardiola and his team were seeking at the Etihad Stadium, but he couldn’t be critical of the City legend’s grasp of the game on that front.
In addition, Premier League experts may recall a 2014 match between Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers, who have played in England’s second division since the 2015–16 season, that showed Hart is more knowledgeable about the rules of the game than most.
Football’s constantly shifting rules can occasionally leave even the most seasoned fans and professional athletes perplexed since there are always special situations that can result in oddball outcomes.
Club Career Statistics for Joe Hart
Club
Games
Objectives Given Up
Clean Sheets
City of Manchester
348
347
137
Celtic
153
145
64
Town of Shrewsbury
55
63
15.
City of Birmingham
41
46
Twelve
The Torino
37
64
5.
Burnley
24
48
6.
United West Ham
23
42
6.
Tottenham Hotspur
10.
8.
5.
Rovers of Tranmere
6.
8.
One
The Blackpool
5.
6.
One
All it takes to understand what we’re talking about is a question on The Chase that baffles Bradley Walsh regarding direct free-kicks that go into a team’s own goal, resulting in a corner and not a change to the scoreline.
Furthermore, Hart had to clarify the rules to Charlie Austin following the game in order for him to comprehend why an earlier goal had been chalked off due to the previously described event in QPR vs. Manchester City.
Bizarre Football Rule Came Into Play
It happened in 2014 when Manchester City visited Loftus Road
Austin of QPR was left perplexed as he grabbed a scuffed free-kick from Hart, smashed the ball into the net, whirled away in celebration, and then realised it couldn’t stand. It was quite amazing.
Why? The ‘two-kick’ rule is to blame. Obviously, right?
The fact that Hart scuffed his kick in such a way that he actually needed two touches before the ball reached Austin, who leathered it past his countryman, changed everything, even though it isn’t immediately apparent.
The ever-evolving rules of the game dictate that free-kicks taken by the other team in their own penalty area must be retaken if the initial touch does not leave the box, as reported by BBC Sport. This is precisely what occurred more than ten years ago.
Hart would have been awarded an indirect free-kick to the opposition instead of being asked to retake it if he had played a free-kick with two touches anywhere else on the pitch.
Hart claimed to have known of the little-known rule at the time. He clarified that he intended for his pass to land at Eliaquim Mangala’s feet, but it ended up close to his countryman, Austin. He stated:
“I touched it twice and was aware of the rules. Obviously, I had touched it twice with my feet. Although it’s not ideal and a mistake, rules are rules. I knew about Charlie, so I was looking at Mangala to pass to him, but it struck both my right and left feet and went straight to him.”
“Hart’s free kick had to leave the box before the ball could be considered back in play – so by touching it for a second time, he prevented the ball from becoming live,” Graham Poll explained in an explanation that was reported by the Daily Mail.
Hart Explains ‘Two-Kick’ Rule to Austin
The two Englishmen caught up at full-time
Austin, the line-leader for QPR, is currently playing for AFC Totton in the Southern League Premier Division South, but he wasn’t all that familiar with the game’s more peculiar rules. In a video that has received over a million views, Hart explains them to Austin and Rob Green at full time.
As a fan or player, you might live and breathe football every day of your life, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t encounter the occasional extraordinary circumstance that challenges your own understanding.
It was because of this that the situation at Loftus Road was so peculiar. As football fans, we had never seen the ‘two-kick’ rule before, and we have never seen it on the Premier League stage since. We don’t know if we will ever see it again.
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