Joe Hart has admitted he didn’t mean to drop the microphone during an emotional farewell speech after his testimonial match.

The Man City goalkeeper captained his side to a momentous 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest before tearfully addressing the fans.

When he ended by dropping the mic and leaving the pitch, it was generally assumed he’d done so intentionally for effect.

But Football Burp can exclusively reveal that Hart has been experiencing Euro 2016 flashbacks periodically over the last month.

He said: “A lot of our fans look like monkeys, so I thought I could see Gareth Bale everywhere.

“Bales by the thousands – it was horrible. Suddenly I could see free-kicks flying at me from all angles.

“I could feel my wrists turning to Ryvita. It felt like that microphone weighed several tonnes.

“It may look like I was making a peace sign but actually it was because three of my fingers were flattened.

“Needless to say I had to get off the pitch as soon as possible so I could breathe into a paper bag for a while.

“But that couldn’t stop me throwing up all over the floor. Willy Caballero swept up after me.

“That was just salt in the wound.”