'He's a breath of fresh air!' Shrewsbury-born Joe Hart wins fans' plaudits on Match of the Day debut

Joe Hart, who started his career at Shrewsbury Town and went on to play for England and win Premier League titles with Manchester City, joined strike pairing Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer to give a goalkeeper's eye view of Saturday's opening games of the top flight season.

And the veteran keeper also added his tip for the Premier League title as well as insights into the critical moments of games.

The BBC show has been running for 60 years and Ghetto Kaiba, on X, formerly Twitter, said: "Probably one of the best @BBCMOTD episodes I’ve seen. Can we get a extra seat and have a goalkeeper on every week to analyse the game from the keeper's view? Superb job from Joe Hart."

Alastair Warwick said he gives a good counterpoint to the two former England strikers on the show.

He said on social media: "Joe Hart really adds something to #MOTD.

"A good counterpoint to the strikers on the show."

Sam Hamilton-Jones said: "Fair play to Joe Hart for his #MOTD pundit debut, really good analysis from a GK perspective and not just talking for the sake of it."

Luke McGee said: "Huge shout to Joe Hart for his @BBCMOTD debut.

"Great to hear a top-end keeper talk about the intricacies."

Josh Earl said: "Joe Hart is a breath of fresh air on MOTD. Nice to see some in-depth GK analysis from someone who knows the position inside out."

Hart brought the curtain down on his glittering career earlier this year after his league-winning Celtic defeated Rangers in the Scottish Cup final.

The Shrewsbury-born former England international has won every major domestic trophy in England and Scotland in a career spanning 20 years.

And that experience between the posts was really brought to bear when he spoke about the key moments when keepers can make a big difference in the games.

Examining a superb save made by David Raya for Arsenal against Wolves, he said the former Brentford man was "constantly involved" in the game.

But when Arsenal were winning 1-0, Wolves had a great chance to equalise. Raya moved to his left but was able to save by adjusting and moving to his right to stop Jorgen Strand Larsen's powerful header.

Hart said those moments "add up" in a season and the Gunners have been tipped by some to win the league against one of Hart's former sides, Manchester City.

Hart contrasted Raya's save with a goal that Southampton keeper Alex McCarthy failed to stop against Newcastle.

He said he got it "slightly wrong" in one of those moments when he needed to make the right decision.

McCarthy kicked one of his goal posts in frustration at being unable to make the save.

And when asked whether he was a 'post kicker' Hart admitted he may have done it at times.

The show concluded with Alan Shearer and Hart giving their tips for the title.

Hart is going for his former employers Manchester City while Shearer thinks the Gunners can take the title back to north London and deny City a fifth consecutive league crown.

Hart began his 20-year career playing for Shrewsbury, making his debut on the team sheet against Exeter City in 2003 as a 15-year-old.

He made his debut playing Gravesend & Northfleet – now Ebbsfleet United – in Shrewsbury’s only season playing non-league football the following year.

The Meole Brace School pupil’s breakthrough season came in 2005/06, where he played a full 46-game season for Town.

Despite playing in League Two and conceding more than a goal per game across the season, his individual performances grabbed the attention of Premier League teams and got him a move to Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s arrival as manager in 2016 signalled the end of Hart’s career at the top of the Premier League, and the two-time title winner took a big gamble and went out on loan to Torino in Italy, where he was a regular in Serie A.

The next season saw him on loan at West Ham, as well as earning his 75th and final England cap in a goalless friendly against Brazil.

Hart moved to Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer to keep up fitness, before moving to Celtic in 2021.

The 34-year-old was signed by Ange Postecoglou and became a staple of Celtic’s next three title charges.

Over three years, he won two Scottish Cups, two Scottish League Cups and three Scottish Premierships, and became beloved by Hoops fans.

Match of the Day is one of the BBC's longest-running shows, having been on air since August 22 1964. The show's theme tune was voted the most recognised television theme in a 2010 poll conducted by the PRS.

Joe's debut on the show can be seen on the BBC iPlayer.