Hearts captain Craig Gordon sends a message to the doubters over whether he will ever play again

Hearts captain Craig Gordon has sent a defiant message to the doubters asking if he will ever play again, saying: “I love proving people wrong.”

The 40-year-old goalkeeper is currently recovering from a double leg-break and admitted those who write him off only provide extra motivation. He is not expected to be fit again until next season after sustaining the injury in December.

Having recovered from more than two years out with knee injuries earlier in his career, and fought back from losing his place as Celtic No.1 previously, Gordon explained that there is huge satisfaction in fighting back from adversity to answer the naysayers.

“Absolutely, yes, without a doubt,” he said. “That is always one of the most satisfying things in football – whether it’s denying a striker a goal, proving people wrong by coming back from injury, proving people wrong by playing on at the age I am. These are all motivating factors I can use to help in this situation. If there is anything I can use to motivate myself I will do.

“For this one, yeah, there have been questions asked about whether I will get back. At this moment in time those will remain until I can get back and I can prove, firstly to myself, that I can still perform and can still do the things that I need to be able to do to get back to this level. So, yeah, this is an ongoing process of having to prove people wrong all over again. You never stop doing that all through your career.

“You have got to keep coming back, take these setbacks because there is hardly a player in the world who doesn’t have them. You have got to come back. I have had to do it a few times so I am well used to it now, whether it is through form or another player playing better and getting in the team or injury. There are always things to go and prove and to go and achieve.”

He draws some other inspiration from the legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, aged 45 and still playing for Parma in Serie B. “I wish he would quit and then it would make it a bit easier, give you something to aim for,” joked Gordon. “He keeps on going. It’s crazy. Maybe the weather is a bit warmer there and the winters are not quite as harsh.

“It’s a league down from the top league in Italy but the standard is still very good so for him to still be playing at that level is incredible. Who knows if I can ever go on that long? At the moment, it is about trying to get back from this injury. That will be me focus.

Hearts captain Craig Gordon says he enjoys proving doubters wrong.

“You see it in other sports, guys going on after their 40th birthday and into their mid-40s. It still feels like a long way away even though I have just turned 40. It is about taking one season at a time – and at this moment in time it is about even less than that. It is about how far I can move this along and get it as good as I can to give myself the opportunity to come back at some point next season.”