Joe Hart backs himself to score a penalty for England at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil... and he's done it twice before

The England goalkeeper insists Roy Hodgson can back him to score
Hart has scored two penalties before - one for England at the U21 European Championships in 2009, and another for Man City in pre-season
England face Italy on June 14 in Manaus in their first Group D game

Published: 17:30 EDT, 25 May 2014 | Updated: 17:37 EDT, 25 May 2014

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Joe Hart admits he would back himself to score a penalty for England at the World Cup in Brazil this summer, having previously held his nerve in a shootout.

It was at the UEFA European Under 21 Championship in 2009 that the goalkeeper converted during the shootout victory over Sweden — and he also tucked one away for Manchester City against LA Galaxy.

Trusty: Hart scored a penalty in the shoot out win over Sweden in the U21 European Championships in 2009

One-on-one: Hart speaks to Sportsmail's Craig Hope during a media goalkeeping masterclass

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England, of course, have gone out of six of the past 10 major inter-national tournaments via penalties and Hart was in goal at the Euros two years ago when Italy were their spot-kick conquerors.

This time, the 27-year-old says he would have no issue with stepping up as one of England’s penalty- takers.

‘I’d be confident enough to take one,’ he said. ‘I’d never say no if I was asked and you never know — I’ve seen it happen before.

‘I quite enjoy taking them and, although it probably won’t come down to me, I’d have no problem. I’ve done it before.’

It was the policy of Under 21 boss Stuart Pearce to select the players who were finding the back of the net in training — and that was enough to see Hart installed as his second taker.

Taste for it: Joe Hart celebrates... but will he be gleaming after scoring a penalty in the World Cup?

Seasoned pro: Joe Hart will be going to his third major tournament with England

Fresh from celebrating City’s second Barclays Premier League title in three seasons, Hart said: ‘We’d been practising them daily with Stuart Pearce and I’d scored most of mine. His system was that he went with the lads who were scoring — and I was scoring.

‘He was confident in me and I was confident in myself and I ended up putting it away.’

Hart’s prime objective, of course, will be saving penalties should England find themselves involved in another shootout in Brazil.

He was beaten by Andrea Pirlo’s chip in 2012 and the Italian has since revealed that Hart’s decision to dive early prompted his audacious effort.

All fronts: Fresh from celebrating City's title win, Hart is looking for even greater success this summer

Three Lions: England face Italy on June 14 in Manaus to kick off their World Cup campaign

‘That was his way of scoring and that’s fair enough — if the ball crosses the line it’s a good penalty, no matter what you do,’ Hart said, ‘but all penalty-takers are different.

‘Rickie (Lambert) is one of the best and he picks his spot beforehand, others change their mind.

‘I watch a lot of penalties before a game in preparation. It’s a big moment. You need to prepare as best you can.

‘That means watching the DVDs and working on them in training. We do that a lot in tournament football because it can be so crucial.

Full stretch: Hart wants to have his own 'David Seaman moment' for England at this summer's World Cup

‘Sadly, at the end of the DVD it doesn’t say, “This is the way he will definitely go”, but what it can do is give you that slight percentage advantage and that might make the difference.’

Should England make it to a shootout many observers will already feel they have surpassed expectation. A group which contains Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica could prove difficult to negotiate, although Hart says Roy Hodgson’s men are taking little notice of their outsider status.

‘We’ll be confident,’ he said. ‘A lot of lads have had very good seasons. I feel that we’ve improved over the past two years under the new manager. We’re playing as a unit and there is a good feel to the team.

‘We’ve got a very good mix of youth and experience and I honestly think we could surprise a few people.’