Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that his decision to drop goalkeeper Joe Hart in 2016 is the biggest regret of his tenure at the club.
In a Sky Sports interview published on May 22, 2026, Guardiola said he should have given Hart an opportunity to secure his place in the starting lineup before making changes.
>>> Pep Guardiola Regrets Not Giving Joe Hart a Chance at Manchester City
“I want to confess something. I have regrets.
When you take a lot of decisions, you make mistakes,” Guardiola said.
The Spanish tactician arrived at City in 2016 after a difficult European Championship campaign for Hart.
The club sidelined the veteran in favor of Claudio Bravo and Willy Caballero, leading to loans for Hart and a permanent move to Burnley in 2018.
“There is one regret I have deep inside for many years: I don't give the chance to Joe Hart to prove himself, how good a keeper he was, you know?”
Guardiola said.
He acknowledged that while subsequent additions like Ederson proved crucial, he should have offered a collaborative trial period with Hart first.
“And I should have done. All respect for Claudio, respect for Ederson, when he came in he was important.
But in that moment I should have said 'OK Joe, let's try to do it together and if it doesn't work then OK, we change it'.
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But it happened,” Guardiola said.
