Few goalkeepers in football history command respect quite like Gianluigi Buffon.
Among the best shot-stoppers the sport has ever seen, the Italian icon cemented his legacy with an astounding 28-year career during which he represented the likes of Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and his national team. When the World Cup winner speaks, it's wise to listen, especially when the topic is goalkeepers.
Buffon once singled out a particular Englishman for high praise, even labelling him as one of the best in the world between the sticks, but managerial legend Pep Guardiola seemingly thought otherwise.
Buffon: Joe Hart Was Once Among World's Best Goalkeepers
He felt only two were better
Speaking to Goal (via ESPN) in 2016, Buffon was adamant that then-England number one Joe Hart was firmly in the list of the leading goalkeepers on the planet, and only two were superior: David De Gea and Manuel Neuer. He said:
"He has consistently, over the last five or six seasons, shown he is among the best goalkeepers in the world. De Gea and Neuer are the two outstanding goalkeepers right now. After that, there is not anybody who is on an obvious higher level than Hart."
There was certainly a case to be made for Hart in this discussion. He had already helped Manchester City to two league titles while scooping up the Premier League Golden Glove four times in five seasons between 2010 and 2015.
But Manchester City were heading in a different direction following Pep Guardiola's appointment at the helm in February 2016. Hart saw himself fall out of the number one spot at the Etihad as a result, and he was forced to reconsider his future, despite being one of the best at his trade, according to Buffon.
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Guardiola Replaced Hart Six Months into City Spell
The Spaniard wanted someone suited to his style of play
Pep Guardiola Joe Hart
A first-team regular at Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City, it did not take long for Pep Guardiola to make his feelings clear about Hart. The former Barcelona boss wanted a keeper adept with his feet as part of his footballing philosophy, and this wasn't something his current options were especially suited to.
Guardiola identified former Catalan Claudio Bravo as the Citizens' new first-choice goalkeeper in August 2016, a decision that was difficult to swallow for Hart. Speaking to the 'In the Stiffs' podcast, he revealed his side of the story.
"I wanted to get in the door and have this conversation,"
"He was very knowledgeable on my background, very knowledgeable on what we did, how I played football, it was a two-hour conversation that kind of ended with him saying 'I can't see this working.'
"I said 'I don't agree with you.' He said. 'I'll be the first person to be proved wrong but what I see in you isn't what I want from my goalkeeper.'
"I suppose he was right, I couldn't do it, he couldn't just drop me into a team to play like he wanted to at that moment in time.
"It was taken away from me, but so what? I'm not bigger than anyone and if that's my path then that's my path. The people of Manchester City will forever be in my heart, I'll forever be grateful for that, but the team, the hierarchy, they're businessmen."
It was nothing but brutal honesty from Guardiola. He showed he truly meant business from the moment he was hired to lead Manchester City's project and, with time, success began flowing in huge abundance.
Indeed, Hart may well have excelled at what goalkeepers were judged on for over a century - stopping the ball from hitting the back of the net - and Buffon clearly saw something special in that regard. But Guardiola was spearheading a new football ideology in which goalkeepers were more involved with general play, and Hart was ultimately a victim of this transition.
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Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.com - Correct as of 05/06/2025