Hart pointed to Jordan Pickford’s reaction to Croatia’s first goal against England as evidence that the issue may be technical rather than purely instinctive.
“Now, what you notice with this is Jordan Pickford flies at this ball, and he just doesn't. You ask, ‘Why has he gone with his thumb rather than his hand?’ It just feels like it is on him,” Hart said.
A goalkeeper’s set position is built around timing. If a shot arrives sooner than expected, the hands can be late, the body can become unbalanced and a routine parry can turn into a dangerous rebound. That does not make every awkward save the ball’s fault, but it can narrow the margin for error.
The conversation echoes criticism of previous tournament balls, most notably the Jabulani used at the 2010 World Cup. Goalkeepers complained about its movement and unpredictability, while long-range shooting became a recurring feature of the tournament.
The current ball is also built differently from traditional designs, with four panels and embedded sensors. Hart believes those changes may be influencing its flight, although the theory will need to withstand repeated testing from different angles, distances and conditions.
If goalkeepers continue to struggle, forwards may become more willing to shoot early rather than build patient attacks around the penalty area. That could make every loose clearance or second ball a potential scoring opportunity.
The next run of World Cup matches will provide the clearest test. If similar rebounds and misjudgements keep appearing, Hart’s warning may become one of the tournament’s defining technical storylines.