Craig Bellamy
Encyclopedia
Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh
footballer who plays as a striker for Liverpool
and the Welsh national team
. Born in Cardiff
, Bellamy was the captain of the Welsh national side for four years after taking over from Ryan Giggs
in 2007, but stood down in January 2011 due to constant injuries. Since making his professional debut for Norwich City
in 1997, he has played for a number of clubs in England
, making his name at Newcastle United
when signed by Bobby Robson
in 2001 and has also had a loan spell with Scottish Premier League
side Celtic
in 2005. On 31 August 2011, Bellamy completed a move back to former club Liverpool from Manchester City
.
During his career, Bellamy has won the Scottish Cup
and FA Community Shield
. He has also been criticised for his behaviour both on and off the pitch, but has accumulated thousands of pounds for various charities and has also established a football academy in Sierra Leone
.
, and spent two years at the club before being brought into the youth system of Norwich City
.
His first team debut for the Canaries came at Arsenal
on 15 March 1997. The 18 year-old Bellamy became a first team regular during the 1997–98
season, making 38 appearances with 13 goals. On 22 August 1998, Bellamy scored Norwich's 5000th league goal in competitive football, scoring the second (a penalty) in the Canaries 4–2 win over Queens Park Rangers
Despite this personal high, he missed two months of that season through injury after a clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers
defender Kevin Muscat
, but still managed to have a successful season, amassing 17 goals in 38 appearances.
1999–2000
again saw Bellamy miss a substantial amount of the season after sustaining a knee injury during a pre-season game against Southend United
. He only returned to action in April 2000, though still managed to find the net twice in the final four games of the season following his comeback. The summer of 2000 saw much transfer speculation surrounding Bellamy with Newcastle United
, Tottenham Hotspur
, Celtic
and Wimbledon
all reportedly interested. Bellamy eventually completed a move to Coventry City
for a sum of £6.5 million, financed through the sale of Robbie Keane
to Inter Milan
for a fee of around £13 million in the same summer. In 2002, Norwich fans voted Bellamy into the Norwich City Hall of Fame.
's high-flying Leicester City
to gain his side a crucial three points. This fuelled rumours of a return to Norwich, which never materialised. Coventry stood by their man despite them facing relegation. Bellamy stated that he would want to leave if they dropped down a division. This happened as the team finished 19th in the Premier League, ending 34 consecutive years in the English top flight, and despite notching up only six league goals, eight in total from 39 appearances.
in July 2001. Sir Bobby Robson later wrote that he was "a great player wrapped round an unusual and volatile character." His Newcastle career got off to a flying start as he scored on his home debut in their 1–0 win over Belgian side Lokeren in the Intertoto Cup in July and he famously nutmegged
former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel in a match against Schmeichel's then club Aston Villa,on his way to two goals in a 3–0 win in November. Under manager Bobby Robson
he formed a very productive striking partnership with Alan Shearer
, Bellamy's pace complementing the former England
captain's guile. At the end of his first season, Bellamy had scored 14 goals for the Magpies, and was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year
award.
During his second season at Newcastle United, came arguably his most important moment for the club as he scored two goals (including the winner) in a 3–2 win over Feyenoord
, which took Newcastle through to the second group stage of the UEFA Champions League
. Unfortunately, in the next match in the group just two weeks later, (a 4–1 home defeat to Inter Milan), he was sent off for kicking out at Inter defender Marco Materazzi
, which resulted in a three-match ban.
He had also scored the opening goal in the September derby match against Sunderland at St. James Park and finished the season with nine goals from 36 appearances.
In March 2004, he threw a chair at then first-team coach John Carver
after a public falling out between the two. The altercation occurred with the club on the way to play a Uefa Cup
fixture with Real Mallorca and Bellamy refused to travel. However, Sir Bobby Robson managed to persuade him to come after a lengthy discussion. Bellamy praised Robson's man management abiity for his handling of the incident.
Bellamy again managed nine goals as his team reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals, eventually losing out 2–0 on aggregate to Marseille, though he also played considerably fewer games from his two previous seasons at Newcastle United, a sign of things to come, as Bellamy's career was blighted by injury in the next few years.
After Bobby Robson's controversial sacking in August 2004, Bellamy had a very public falling-out with his replacement as Newcastle manager, Graeme Souness
, who also had altercations with stars including Laurent Robert
and Olivier Bernard
. Despite the two claiming that the rift had been healed after Bellamy scored a last-minute winner in a 4–3 victory over Manchester City
in late October, it was announced on 23 January 2005 that the player had been omitted from the team for a Premier League match with Arsenal
at Highbury stadium, a game that ended 1–0 in the Gunners' favour. Before the match, Souness said that Bellamy had been left out due to a hamstring problem, but contradicted himself in a post-match interview, claiming that Bellamy was benched for being unwilling to play as a right-sided midfielder
.
Minutes later, Bellamy gave an interview saying he was prepared to play in any position for his club. However, with his Newcastle United career hanging in the balance, he later admitted that he had threatened to fake injury ahead of the Arsenal match, though in a later interview accused Souness of lying about him and his commitment to the club. Souness responded by stating that Bellamy would never play in a Newcastle United shirt again while he was manager and consequently the club fined Bellamy two weeks' wages (about £80,000). Bellamy's last goal for the club came in a UEFA Cup group stage match against Sporting Lisbon in December, in a 1–1 draw at St. James Park, his 10th goal for Newcastle that season. Bellamy started his Newcastle career with a total of 42 goals from 128 appearances.
Bellamy made himself further unwelcome at St James' Park when some abusive text messages were allegedly sent from his phone to club captain Alan Shearer
after Newcastle's FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester United in April 2005, while the player was still on-loan to Celtic for the remainder of that season. At the time, Bellamy was with the Celtic squad in Ireland for Jackie McNamara
's testimonial golf day. Bellamy's agent insisted his mobile had been lost at the time and that he was not responsible for the texts. Kenneth Shepherd, son of Newcastle chairman Freddy, also claimed he received gloating text messages. Shearer was alleged to have threatened to "knock his block off" should the player have returned to Newcastle United.
of the Scottish Premier League
for the remainder of the season. It was later announced by the player that he had shunned a move to Birmingham City
to move to the Scottish Club.
He scored nine goals for Celtic in the remainder of the 2004–05 season, getting his first in a 5–0 win against then Scottish First Division side Clyde in the Scottish Cup on 27 January 2005. He also put in notable performances away to Dundee United, a game in which he scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 victory for the Bhoys, and a 2–1 victory over fierce old-firm rivals Rangers at Ibrox, where he scored the opener in a crucial game for his club. He ultimately lost out on winning the SPL as Celtic suffered a 2–1 defeat to Motherwell
on the final day of the season. He did end the season on a personal high though, as he won the Scottish Cup
, his first ever major career trophy after his team beat Dundee United, this time 1–0 at Hampden Park. The Glasgow club were keen to sign him permanently, but on 7 July 2005 it was announced that he was to return to the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers
for a transfer fee believed to be to be around £5 million. It had been reported that Bellamy was keen on a return to Celtic after his departure from Newcastle United, however a move back north wasn't to be.
Despite the controversy, that 2004–05 season proved to be Bellamys most fruitful to date, as he won that Scottish Cup winners medal as well as scoring 22 goals altogether for Newcastle, Celtic and Wales. Bellamy was racially abused by a Hearts
supporter in April 2005.
, where he was reunited with former Wales manager and team-mate Mark Hughes
. He scored 17 goals for Rovers in 2005–06 (including two terrific efforts against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 8 April 2006) in all competitions, in a highly successful but injury-tempered season, where the club finished in sixth place in the Premier League, marking a vast improvement on the previous seasons 15th position, qualifying for the 2006–07 Uefa Cup in the process. He formed a strong partnership with Shefki Kuqi
. Bellamy provided a core part of the team, alongside goalkeeper Brad Friedel
, defender Ryan Nelsen
and midfielders Robbie Savage
, Brett Emerton
, Steven Reid
and Morten Gamst Pedersen
. Bellamy's rejuvenation sparked renewed interest in him from a handful of top clubs including Liverpool and Arsenal.
, reportedly in the region of £6 million triggering a clause in Bellamy's contract that obliged Blackburn to allow him permission to talk to the club.
He officially became a Liverpool player on 1 July 2006. Bellamy got off to a slow start for Liverpool, despite scoring on his debut against Maccabi Haifa
in the Champions League 3rd qualifying round first leg on 9 August 2006, Bellamy however struggled for Premier League goals, eventually scoring his first in mid October, against former club Blackburn Rovers. After the match against Haifa, Bellamy had set up the winner for Peter Crouch in the 81st minute of the 2006 FA Community Shield
.
Bellamy finally made an impact against Wigan Athletic
, inspiring Liverpool to a 4–0 victory with two goals and one assist on 2 December 2006. It was his first game after being cleared of supposedly assaulting a woman in a Cardiff bar. He scored again two weeks later against Charlton Athletic and then got a fourth in four games against Watford
on the 23 December 2006, followed by another goal on 13 January 2007 also against Watford to bring his season tally for Liverpool up to seven.
In February 2007 it was alleged that Bellamy attacked team mate John Arne Riise
with a golf club during a team training session in Portugal. Both players were fined two weeks wages by the club. The incident earned him the nickname "The Nutter
with the Putter". Manager Rafael Benítez
accepted the players' apology. In the first match following the incident, away at Barcelona
in a Champions League last-16 round first leg, Bellamy celebrated his 1–1 equalizer, after Deco
had headed Barca into the lead, by emulating a golf stroke. He also set up the other goal, almost inevitably, for John Arne Riise.
It was reported that Bellamy had announced to football results television programme "Wales on Saturday" on 28 April 2007 that he would leave Liverpool in the summer 2007 transfer window. His supposed given reasons were lack of communication with Benítez and conflicting opinions on how Bellamy could be best utilised.
The next day, Bellamy angrily dismissed this story on the club's official website. He said that he was disappointed that he had to deal with this issue while preparing for such as big a match as the Champions League
semi-final against Chelsea
. Bellamy reassured the fans that he was 100% committed to the club. He even stated that Benítez was the manager he had admired most during his career and wishes to emulate Benitez if he ever chooses to pursue a career in football management.
Liverpool went on to win the semi-final, and while at the sidelines, Bellamy could be seen talking to Benítez, and their relationship seemed to look fine. He was, however, left on the bench as an unused substitute, in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final
, as Liverpool lost 2–1 to AC Milan
.
In the summer of 2007, Bellamy was the subject of a bid from West Ham United. The bid was accepted and Bellamy was on the move again after signing for the London club
for a fee of £7.5 million on 10 July 2007, signing a five-year contract with the club and reuniting with former Norwich teammate Robert Green
. This was at the time the Hammers' record signing.
Bellamy made his West Ham
debut in an opening day 4–0 home defeat by Manchester City on 11 August 2007.
His first two goals for West Ham
were scored in a 2–1 League Cup
victory against Bristol Rovers on 28 August 2007. Injury blighted Bellamy's first season with West Ham. He managed only 9 games, scoring 4 goals and in February 2008 was ruled out of action until the beginning of season 2008–09. His only goals for the club in 2007–08 were the brace against Rovers, the opener against Reading in early September and the opener against Middlesbrough a week later. Both matches finished 3–0 to the hammers. Bellamy returned to action in the third game of the 2008–09 season for the Hammers, scoring the third goal
that made sure they beat Blackburn Rovers. They won 4–1 after Carlton Cole
added a fourth (Bellamy's goal had come two minutes into stoppage time). It was his first goal in 6 months but his fifth goal for the Hammers in only his 10th appearance for the club since joining in July 2007.
After a string of impressive performances, Bellamy was reported to have attracted the attention of several clubs, and in the 2009 January transfer window he was linked to a host of clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. His manager Gianfranco Zola
was reportedly unhappy with the way he felt Tottenham had tried to approach Bellamy, although he denied reports that Bellamy had gone on strike in protest at not being allowed to move – after Bellamy stormed out of training in protest. Two offers from Manchester City were rejected before on 18 January 2009, a third undisclosed bid, purported to be around £14 million was accepted by West Ham from City. In total, Bellamy made 26 league and cup appearances for the Hammers, scoring 9 goals, a strike rate of more than a goal every 3 games.
on a four and a half-year deal for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £14 million. On signing for the club his new manager Mark Hughes stated, "I'm sure Craig will be excellent for us, I think people will soon see why I wanted to bring him to the club. The fee that gets mentioned is invariably the wrong figure, it keeps being quoted as £19million, but that was not the price we paid for him." This took his career total of transfers to £47m. Bellamy became the second major signing by Manchester City of the transfer window after Wayne Bridge
from Chelsea.
Bellamy marked his debut for City on 28 January with a goal against his former club Newcastle United at The City of Manchester Stadium in a 2–1 win scoring the winner, making him only the fifth player in Premier League history to have scored for six different top-flight clubs. Bellamy's next goal came against Middlesbrough in the Premier League where Bellamy sealed the three points in a 1–0 win for City. On 22 February 2009, he scored against his former club Liverpool at Anfield in a 1–1 draw, ironically denting his former employers title chances. He went on to score a brace for City on his European home debut just four days later on 26 February, dedicating the goals to his cousin who had died the previous night.
Bellamy opened his account for the 2009–10 season with a goal in City's 4–2 win over Arsenal
on 12 September 2009, before setting up Shaun Wright-Phillips
for City's 4th goal, with a brilliant run from his own half. He followed that up a week later with two goals against Manchester United
in a 4–3 derby defeat. His first was a brilliant 20-yard strike from the edge of the 18-yard box, his second came after Rio Ferdinand
gifted possession to Martin Petrov
, who played the ball through to Bellamy who rounded United keeper Ben Foster
, to make the score 3–3 in the first minute of injury-time. The former goal was later named Goal of the Month for September 2009. After this derby a fan invaded the pitch but was dealt with by stewards quickly. While the fan was being escorted from the field, TV footage showed that Bellamy slapped the fan in the face. He was given a warning by the FA about his future conduct, however Manchester City stated they would not discipline Bellamy, instead offering their support to him.
As he became ever more popular with the Manchester City fans, Bellamy's next goal came at Villa Park on 5 October 2009, earning a point for his team after being 1–0 down at half-time. On 7 November 2009, Bellamy scored in a 3–3 draw against Burnley
at the City of Manchester Stadium. He then scored again on 19 December against Sunderland
in the 4–3 victory, which turned out to be Mark Hughes' last game in charge of the club. Bellamy was said to be upset at Hughes' dismissal, and has subsequently been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Arsenal and dropped to the bench in Roberto Mancini
's first game in charge against Stoke City
. However, he played in matches under Mancini and made clear his desire to stay at Manchester City for the foreseeable future. He scored the equaliser against Stoke City
, before losing 3–1 in Fifth round replay of the FA Cup
. Bellamy then scored two goals at Stamford Bridge
in the 4–2 win against Chelsea, giving Manchester City their first win at Stamford Bridge in 17 years.
In August 2010, Bellamy stated that he feared that he would be omitted from Manchester City's 25-man squad for the 2010-11 Premier League season and even hinted at retirement. On 11 August 2010, he was left out of Manchester City's 23 man Europa League squad to face Timisoara. The next week Bellamy was allowed to train with Cardiff City
, fueling speculation that he might sign for his hometown club. When asked about such a move, Bellamy said that he would "love to play for Cardiff".
On 25 August 2011, it was reported that Liverpool were interested in re-signing Craig Bellamy, provided Manchester City are willing to let him leave on a "free transfer"
on a season-long loan from Manchester City
. The deal kept him at the club until the end of the 2010–11 season. Cardiff manager Dave Jones confirmed that Bellamy would become team captain for the season with former captain Mark Hudson
named club captain. He made his debut for the club on 21 August in a 4–0 win over Doncaster Rovers
, in which he scored from a 35-yard free kick. After playing the subsequent game against Portsmouth
, Bellamy missed the next five games due to a knee injury but came back and scored in a 2–1 win against Barnsley
on 2 October. Bellamy went on to score in four consecutive home league matches against Coventry, Leeds, Watford and Reading. Bellamy scored the winning goal in the South Wales derby
against on 6 February 2011 with a typical trademark Bellamy long shot in the dying minutes of the match.
Bellamy played a huge part in Cardiff's end of season push for promotion to the Premier League, creating numerous chances for team mates which lead to several assists and man of the match worthy performances. His talismanic influence was particularly evident in the 2–2 draw with league leaders in April in which he scored the second goal. However, Cardiff led twice in the game before Adel Taarabt
's brace held them to a draw. Automatic promotion was still a possibility if Cardiff won their remaining games in the season. However a horrendous 3-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough condemned Cardiff to settle for a 4th place finish and a play off spot for the second season running. Bellamy scored his last goal of the season with a superbly taken volley in the 90th minute to salvage a draw away at Turf Moor against Burnley. Going into the play offs, Bellamy suffered a hamstring injury in the first leg away to Reading, which meant he had to leave the field during the first half of the game. Cardiff went on to draw the match but then failed to capture promotion after losing 3–0 to in the second leg of the semi-final, with Bellamy sorely missed by the Bluebirds due to his absence with a hamstring injury.
Bellamy stated that he would like to stay at Cardiff City
beyond his loan spell to achieve his dream of them one day playing in the Premier League. After Cardiff manager Dave Jones' sacking, Bellamy became a surprise favourite to take over. However,tje new Cardiff boss, Malky Mackay
, who knew Bellamy from their days at Norwich, did not say whether he would attempt to sign Bellamy. Bellamy tried to "plead" with Manchester City to let him go on a free transfer after they put a £4m price tag on him.
on a free transfer and took the number 39 shirt. The following day, boyhood club Cardiff City
revealed that they had failed in a last minute bid for the striker. Bellamy commented on the move "I've grown up with Kenny Dalglish
, now to be signed by him is a massive honour. It's been a long couple of months, I had to be patient and believe something like this could happen." Bellamy's returning debut came against Stoke City
in a 1-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium
. He scored his first goal for Liverpool since his return against Brighton & Hove Albion
in the League Cup
in the seventh minute of the game. He also rattled the bar from a 40 yard free kick. He scored his first league goal of his second spell on 22 October 2011 against Norwich City
in a 1-1 draw. On 27 November 2011, Bellamy was withdrawn from the team for the game against Manchester City due to the death of his friend and coach Gary Speed
. Two days later he returned to the team and contributed 2 assists for Martin Kelly
and Maxi Rodriguez in a 2-0 win over Chelsea FC to ensure Liverpool qualified for the semi final of the League Cup.
at Ninian Park
as a substitute in place of Gareth Taylor
. He scored his first goal for his country in his next match on 4 June 1998 during a 3–0 win over Malta
. He added goals against Denmark
, Norway
and Argentina
before, on 16 October 2002, he scored possibly his most famous goal for Wales in their Euro 2004 qualifying victory over Italy
, rounding Gianluigi Buffon
to score Wales' winning goal.
In October 2006, Bellamy was awarded the captain's armband by Welsh manager John Toshack
when Ryan Giggs
was unavailable through injury for the Euro 2008 qualifying match against Slovakia
on 7 October 2006. His captaincy got off to a poor start with a 5–1 defeat at home to the Slovaks. However, just four days later, in his second game as captain against Cyprus
, Wales won 3–1, with Bellamy scoring the third for his country, after setting up Robert Earnshaw
for his side's second. In June 2007, Ryan Giggs announced his retirement from international football which resulted in Bellamy being named permanent captain by Toshack. He earned his 50th international cap in a friendly against Iceland
in May 2008.
In October 2010 a 'club v country' row emerged as Bellamy played a full match for Cardiff City, despite his manager Dave Jones claiming Bellamy was too injured to play for Wales. Bellamy stood down as Wales captain on 6 January 2011 due to knee injuries.
Bellamy is the fifth highest goalscorer in Wales' history, behind Ian Rush
, Trevor Ford
, Ivor Allchurch
and
Dean Saunders
.
, where his family still live today. He attended Baden Powell Primary School, Trowbridge Junior School
and Rumney High School
. He played football at a junior level for Caer Castell FC, where his father was manager. He was said to have been a keen Liverpool
supporter in his youth, alongside his hometown club, Cardiff City
.
Bellamy married his teenage sweetheart Claire Jansen in June 2006 at St Bride's Church in the village of St Bride's-super-Ely, near Cardiff. The couple have three children, sons Ellis, who is currently a member of the youth development system at Newport County
, and Cameron and daughter Lexie. Prior to his move to Cardiff City, Bellamy lived in Manchester
for most of the week, while his wife and children lived in the family home in Peterston-super-Ely
.
, Sierra Leone
. Bellamy has visited the war-torn West African country and has reportedly been moved to invest £650,000 of his own money to help build a football academy to develop the country's young football talent.
Winner:
Runner Up:
Liverpool
Winner:
Runner Up:
Manchester City
Runner Up:
|1996–97||rowspan="5"|Norwich City
||rowspan="5"|First Division
||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|1997–98||36||13||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||38||13
|-
|1998–99||40||17||colspan="2"|-||5||2||colspan="2"|-||45||19
|-
|1999–2000||4||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||2
|-
|2000–01||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||1||0
|-
|2000–01||Coventry City
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||34||6||2||1||3||1||colspan="2"|-||39||8
|-
|2001–02||rowspan="4"|Newcastle United
||27||9||3||0||3||4||6||1||39||14
|-
|2002–03||29||7||1||0||colspan="2"|-||6||2||36||9
|-
|2003–04||16||5||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||5||24||10
|-
|2004–05||21||7||1||0||2||0||5||3||29||10
|-
|2004–05||Celtic
||Scottish Premier League
||12||7||3||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||9
|-
|2005–06||Blackburn Rovers
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||27||13||1||2||4||2||colspan="2"|-||32||17
|-
|2006–07||Liverpool
||27||7||colspan="2"|-||2||0||12||2||41||9
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="2"|West Ham United
||8||2||colspan="2"|-||1||2||colspan="2"|-||9||4
|-
|rowspan="2"|2008–09||16||5||1||0||||||||||17||5
|-
|rowspan="2"|Manchester City
||8||3||colspan="2"|-||0||0||3||2||11||5
|-
|2009–10||32||10||3||1||5||0||colspan="2"|-||40||11
|-
|2010–11
||Cardiff City
||Championship
||35||11||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||36||11
|-
|2011–12
||Liverpool
||Premier League||6||1||0||0||2||1||colspan="2"|-||8||2
|-
!colspan="3"|Premier League
!262!!82!!12!!4!!22!!10!!40!!15!!336!!111
|-
350||119||13||4||26||12||40||15||427||149
12||7||3||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||9
362||126||16||6||26||12||40||15||442||158
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
footballer who plays as a striker for Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and the Welsh national team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
. Born in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Bellamy was the captain of the Welsh national side for four years after taking over from Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
in 2007, but stood down in January 2011 due to constant injuries. Since making his professional debut for Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
in 1997, he has played for a number of clubs in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, making his name at Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
when signed by Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
in 2001 and has also had a loan spell with Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in 2005. On 31 August 2011, Bellamy completed a move back to former club Liverpool from Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
.
During his career, Bellamy has won the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
and FA Community Shield
FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
. He has also been criticised for his behaviour both on and off the pitch, but has accumulated thousands of pounds for various charities and has also established a football academy in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
.
Norwich City
Bellamy began his footballing career as a nine-year-old at Bristol RoversBristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
, and spent two years at the club before being brought into the youth system of Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
.
His first team debut for the Canaries came at Arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
on 15 March 1997. The 18 year-old Bellamy became a first team regular during the 1997–98
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
season, making 38 appearances with 13 goals. On 22 August 1998, Bellamy scored Norwich's 5000th league goal in competitive football, scoring the second (a penalty) in the Canaries 4–2 win over Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
Despite this personal high, he missed two months of that season through injury after a clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
defender Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat is an Australian football player who currently plays for Victorian State League Division 1 side Sunshine George Cross and is assistant coach of Melbourne Victory...
, but still managed to have a successful season, amassing 17 goals in 38 appearances.
1999–2000
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
again saw Bellamy miss a substantial amount of the season after sustaining a knee injury during a pre-season game against Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
. He only returned to action in April 2000, though still managed to find the net twice in the final four games of the season following his comeback. The summer of 2000 saw much transfer speculation surrounding Bellamy with Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
all reportedly interested. Bellamy eventually completed a move to Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
for a sum of £6.5 million, financed through the sale of Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
to Inter Milan
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
for a fee of around £13 million in the same summer. In 2002, Norwich fans voted Bellamy into the Norwich City Hall of Fame.
Coventry City
Bellamy had an unsuccessful start to his career with Coventry, scoring only three league goals by the start of December, two of which were penalties, though on 10 December 2000 he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Martin O'NeillMartin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
's high-flying Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
to gain his side a crucial three points. This fuelled rumours of a return to Norwich, which never materialised. Coventry stood by their man despite them facing relegation. Bellamy stated that he would want to leave if they dropped down a division. This happened as the team finished 19th in the Premier League, ending 34 consecutive years in the English top flight, and despite notching up only six league goals, eight in total from 39 appearances.
Newcastle United
Bellamy moved to Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in July 2001. Sir Bobby Robson later wrote that he was "a great player wrapped round an unusual and volatile character." His Newcastle career got off to a flying start as he scored on his home debut in their 1–0 win over Belgian side Lokeren in the Intertoto Cup in July and he famously nutmegged
Nutmeg (football)
A nutmeg is a technique used in football or field hockey, in which a player rolls the ball through an opponent's legs. This can be whilst passing to another player, shooting or occasionally to carry on and retrieve it themselves.- Origin :...
former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel in a match against Schmeichel's then club Aston Villa,on his way to two goals in a 3–0 win in November. Under manager Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
he formed a very productive striking partnership with Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
, Bellamy's pace complementing the former England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
captain's guile. At the end of his first season, Bellamy had scored 14 goals for the Magpies, and was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year
PFA Young Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
award.
During his second season at Newcastle United, came arguably his most important moment for the club as he scored two goals (including the winner) in a 3–2 win over Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam
Feyenoord is a Dutch professional football club located in Rotterdam. Along with Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is one of the "big three" clubs in the Netherlands. These three clubs and Utrecht and Roda JC are the only clubs never to have been relegated from the Dutch first division...
, which took Newcastle through to the second group stage of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. Unfortunately, in the next match in the group just two weeks later, (a 4–1 home defeat to Inter Milan), he was sent off for kicking out at Inter defender Marco Materazzi
Marco Materazzi
Marco Materazzi , is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender, and is currently a free agent.At the beginning of his career, Materazzi played with various Italian teams in Serie B and Serie C, and with Premier League side Everton. He spent two periods with Perugia and signed for...
, which resulted in a three-match ban.
He had also scored the opening goal in the September derby match against Sunderland at St. James Park and finished the season with nine goals from 36 appearances.
In March 2004, he threw a chair at then first-team coach John Carver
John Carver (footballer)
John William Carver is a former English footballer and current assistant manager of Newcastle United.-Biography:...
after a public falling out between the two. The altercation occurred with the club on the way to play a Uefa Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
fixture with Real Mallorca and Bellamy refused to travel. However, Sir Bobby Robson managed to persuade him to come after a lengthy discussion. Bellamy praised Robson's man management abiity for his handling of the incident.
Bellamy again managed nine goals as his team reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals, eventually losing out 2–0 on aggregate to Marseille, though he also played considerably fewer games from his two previous seasons at Newcastle United, a sign of things to come, as Bellamy's career was blighted by injury in the next few years.
After Bobby Robson's controversial sacking in August 2004, Bellamy had a very public falling-out with his replacement as Newcastle manager, Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
, who also had altercations with stars including Laurent Robert
Laurent Robert
Laurent Robert is a former French footballer. He was a left winger, and has played for the French national football team....
and Olivier Bernard
Olivier Bernard
Olivier Bernard is a retired French footballer. He announced his retirement after leaving Newcastle United on 16 May 2007.-Newcastle United:Bernard made his name during his first spell with Newcastle after joining from Lyon...
. Despite the two claiming that the rift had been healed after Bellamy scored a last-minute winner in a 4–3 victory over Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
in late October, it was announced on 23 January 2005 that the player had been omitted from the team for a Premier League match with Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
at Highbury stadium, a game that ended 1–0 in the Gunners' favour. Before the match, Souness said that Bellamy had been left out due to a hamstring problem, but contradicted himself in a post-match interview, claiming that Bellamy was benched for being unwilling to play as a right-sided midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Minutes later, Bellamy gave an interview saying he was prepared to play in any position for his club. However, with his Newcastle United career hanging in the balance, he later admitted that he had threatened to fake injury ahead of the Arsenal match, though in a later interview accused Souness of lying about him and his commitment to the club. Souness responded by stating that Bellamy would never play in a Newcastle United shirt again while he was manager and consequently the club fined Bellamy two weeks' wages (about £80,000). Bellamy's last goal for the club came in a UEFA Cup group stage match against Sporting Lisbon in December, in a 1–1 draw at St. James Park, his 10th goal for Newcastle that season. Bellamy started his Newcastle career with a total of 42 goals from 128 appearances.
Bellamy made himself further unwelcome at St James' Park when some abusive text messages were allegedly sent from his phone to club captain Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
after Newcastle's FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester United in April 2005, while the player was still on-loan to Celtic for the remainder of that season. At the time, Bellamy was with the Celtic squad in Ireland for Jackie McNamara
Jackie McNamara
Jackie McNamara is a Scottish football player and manager who currently manages Partick Thistle. He is a former Scottish international and has filled a variety of defensive roles in his career and captained Celtic under the management of Martin O'Neill.-Dunfermline Athletic:The son of former...
's testimonial golf day. Bellamy's agent insisted his mobile had been lost at the time and that he was not responsible for the texts. Kenneth Shepherd, son of Newcastle chairman Freddy, also claimed he received gloating text messages. Shearer was alleged to have threatened to "knock his block off" should the player have returned to Newcastle United.
Celtic (loan)
On 31 January 2005 (transfer deadline day) Bellamy was sent out on loan to CelticCeltic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
of the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
for the remainder of the season. It was later announced by the player that he had shunned a move to Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
to move to the Scottish Club.
He scored nine goals for Celtic in the remainder of the 2004–05 season, getting his first in a 5–0 win against then Scottish First Division side Clyde in the Scottish Cup on 27 January 2005. He also put in notable performances away to Dundee United, a game in which he scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 victory for the Bhoys, and a 2–1 victory over fierce old-firm rivals Rangers at Ibrox, where he scored the opener in a crucial game for his club. He ultimately lost out on winning the SPL as Celtic suffered a 2–1 defeat to Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
on the final day of the season. He did end the season on a personal high though, as he won the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
, his first ever major career trophy after his team beat Dundee United, this time 1–0 at Hampden Park. The Glasgow club were keen to sign him permanently, but on 7 July 2005 it was announced that he was to return to the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
for a transfer fee believed to be to be around £5 million. It had been reported that Bellamy was keen on a return to Celtic after his departure from Newcastle United, however a move back north wasn't to be.
Despite the controversy, that 2004–05 season proved to be Bellamys most fruitful to date, as he won that Scottish Cup winners medal as well as scoring 22 goals altogether for Newcastle, Celtic and Wales. Bellamy was racially abused by a Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
supporter in April 2005.
Blackburn Rovers
Bellamy signed a four year contract with Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, where he was reunited with former Wales manager and team-mate Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
. He scored 17 goals for Rovers in 2005–06 (including two terrific efforts against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on 8 April 2006) in all competitions, in a highly successful but injury-tempered season, where the club finished in sixth place in the Premier League, marking a vast improvement on the previous seasons 15th position, qualifying for the 2006–07 Uefa Cup in the process. He formed a strong partnership with Shefki Kuqi
Shefki Kuqi
Shefki Kuqi is a Kosovar-born Finnish professional footballer who is currently playing for League One side Oldham Athletic. Kuqi plays predominately as a striker. He has spent most of his career in the English league, and has played for clubs including Stockport County, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich...
. Bellamy provided a core part of the team, alongside goalkeeper Brad Friedel
Brad Friedel
Bradley Howard Friedel is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League....
, defender Ryan Nelsen
Ryan Nelsen
Ryan William Nelsen, ONZM is a New Zealand footballer who plays as a defender, and is captain of Premier League club Blackburn Rovers. Nelsen captains the New Zealand national team, the All Whites. He joined Blackburn back in 2005 on a free transfer from D.C. United...
and midfielders Robbie Savage
Robbie Savage
Robert William "Robbie" Savage is a football pundit and former Welsh professional footballer who played predominantly as a midfielder. During his career he captained Derby County, and also played for the Welsh national team. He now presents 606 on BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday evenings alongside...
, Brett Emerton
Brett Emerton
Brett Michael Emerton is an Australian football player who plays for Sydney FC and the Australia national team...
, Steven Reid
Steven Reid
Steven John Reid is an English-born Irish footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion as a defender, but played most of his career in midfield...
and Morten Gamst Pedersen
Morten Gamst Pedersen
Morten Gamst Pedersen is a Norwegian footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers and the Norway national football team.-Tromsø IL:...
. Bellamy's rejuvenation sparked renewed interest in him from a handful of top clubs including Liverpool and Arsenal.
Liverpool
On 20 June 2006 he was the subject of a transfer bid from LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, reportedly in the region of £6 million triggering a clause in Bellamy's contract that obliged Blackburn to allow him permission to talk to the club.
He officially became a Liverpool player on 1 July 2006. Bellamy got off to a slow start for Liverpool, despite scoring on his debut against Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa F.C.
Maccabi Haifa Football Club is an Israeli football team from the city of Haifa, a section of Maccabi Haifa sports club. The club has won 12 championships, 5 State Cups and 4 Toto Cups...
in the Champions League 3rd qualifying round first leg on 9 August 2006, Bellamy however struggled for Premier League goals, eventually scoring his first in mid October, against former club Blackburn Rovers. After the match against Haifa, Bellamy had set up the winner for Peter Crouch in the 81st minute of the 2006 FA Community Shield
2006 FA Community Shield
The 2006 FA Community Shield was a football match played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 13 August 2006 between the 2005–06 FA Premier League champions Chelsea and 2005–06 FA Cup winners Liverpool. Liverpool won the match 2–1, with goals coming from John Arne Riise and Peter Crouch...
.
Bellamy finally made an impact against Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
, inspiring Liverpool to a 4–0 victory with two goals and one assist on 2 December 2006. It was his first game after being cleared of supposedly assaulting a woman in a Cardiff bar. He scored again two weeks later against Charlton Athletic and then got a fourth in four games against Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
on the 23 December 2006, followed by another goal on 13 January 2007 also against Watford to bring his season tally for Liverpool up to seven.
In February 2007 it was alleged that Bellamy attacked team mate John Arne Riise
John Arne Riise
John Arne Semundseth Riise is a Norwegian footballer who currently plays as a left wing-back for Fulham and the Norwegian national team. Riise spent seven years playing for Premier League side Liverpool before moving to Roma in 2008...
with a golf club during a team training session in Portugal. Both players were fined two weeks wages by the club. The incident earned him the nickname "The Nutter
Nutter
A nutter is one who gathers nuts. It is also a slang word for a mentally ill person, but also slang for someone who is fearless, tough and cruel.- People :* Adam Nutter, English guitarist...
with the Putter". Manager Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
accepted the players' apology. In the first match following the incident, away at Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in a Champions League last-16 round first leg, Bellamy celebrated his 1–1 equalizer, after Deco
Deco
Anderson Luís de Souza, OIH , commonly known as Deco, is a Brazilian-born Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays for Fluminense....
had headed Barca into the lead, by emulating a golf stroke. He also set up the other goal, almost inevitably, for John Arne Riise.
It was reported that Bellamy had announced to football results television programme "Wales on Saturday" on 28 April 2007 that he would leave Liverpool in the summer 2007 transfer window. His supposed given reasons were lack of communication with Benítez and conflicting opinions on how Bellamy could be best utilised.
The next day, Bellamy angrily dismissed this story on the club's official website. He said that he was disappointed that he had to deal with this issue while preparing for such as big a match as the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
semi-final against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. Bellamy reassured the fans that he was 100% committed to the club. He even stated that Benítez was the manager he had admired most during his career and wishes to emulate Benitez if he ever chooses to pursue a career in football management.
Liverpool went on to win the semi-final, and while at the sidelines, Bellamy could be seen talking to Benítez, and their relationship seemed to look fine. He was, however, left on the bench as an unused substitute, in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final
2007 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2007 UEFA Champions League Final was an association football match between A.C. Milan of Italy and Liverpool F.C. of England on 23 May 2007 at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece. The showpiece event was the final match of the 2006–07 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the UEFA...
, as Liverpool lost 2–1 to AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
.
In the summer of 2007, Bellamy was the subject of a bid from West Ham United. The bid was accepted and Bellamy was on the move again after signing for the London club
West Ham United
Bellamy completed a move to West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
for a fee of £7.5 million on 10 July 2007, signing a five-year contract with the club and reuniting with former Norwich teammate Robert Green
Robert Green
Robert Paul Green is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United and the England national football team as a goalkeeper.-Norwich City:...
. This was at the time the Hammers' record signing.
Bellamy made his West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
debut in an opening day 4–0 home defeat by Manchester City on 11 August 2007.
His first two goals for West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
were scored in a 2–1 League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
victory against Bristol Rovers on 28 August 2007. Injury blighted Bellamy's first season with West Ham. He managed only 9 games, scoring 4 goals and in February 2008 was ruled out of action until the beginning of season 2008–09. His only goals for the club in 2007–08 were the brace against Rovers, the opener against Reading in early September and the opener against Middlesbrough a week later. Both matches finished 3–0 to the hammers. Bellamy returned to action in the third game of the 2008–09 season for the Hammers, scoring the third goal
Goal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....
that made sure they beat Blackburn Rovers. They won 4–1 after Carlton Cole
Carlton Cole
Carlton Michael Cole Okirie is an English footballer who plays as a striker for West Ham United in the Npower Championship....
added a fourth (Bellamy's goal had come two minutes into stoppage time). It was his first goal in 6 months but his fifth goal for the Hammers in only his 10th appearance for the club since joining in July 2007.
After a string of impressive performances, Bellamy was reported to have attracted the attention of several clubs, and in the 2009 January transfer window he was linked to a host of clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. His manager Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola, OBE, Ufficiale OMRI is a retired Italian footballer and manager, who most recently managed West Ham United from 2008 to 2010, after having been assistant manager of the Italy U-21 under Pierluigi Casiraghi...
was reportedly unhappy with the way he felt Tottenham had tried to approach Bellamy, although he denied reports that Bellamy had gone on strike in protest at not being allowed to move – after Bellamy stormed out of training in protest. Two offers from Manchester City were rejected before on 18 January 2009, a third undisclosed bid, purported to be around £14 million was accepted by West Ham from City. In total, Bellamy made 26 league and cup appearances for the Hammers, scoring 9 goals, a strike rate of more than a goal every 3 games.
Manchester City
On 19 January 2009, Bellamy completed his move to Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
on a four and a half-year deal for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £14 million. On signing for the club his new manager Mark Hughes stated, "I'm sure Craig will be excellent for us, I think people will soon see why I wanted to bring him to the club. The fee that gets mentioned is invariably the wrong figure, it keeps being quoted as £19million, but that was not the price we paid for him." This took his career total of transfers to £47m. Bellamy became the second major signing by Manchester City of the transfer window after Wayne Bridge
Wayne Bridge
Wayne Michael Bridge is an English footballer who plays as a left back for Manchester City.A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, he has also played for Chelsea and Fulham during his Premiership career....
from Chelsea.
Bellamy marked his debut for City on 28 January with a goal against his former club Newcastle United at The City of Manchester Stadium in a 2–1 win scoring the winner, making him only the fifth player in Premier League history to have scored for six different top-flight clubs. Bellamy's next goal came against Middlesbrough in the Premier League where Bellamy sealed the three points in a 1–0 win for City. On 22 February 2009, he scored against his former club Liverpool at Anfield in a 1–1 draw, ironically denting his former employers title chances. He went on to score a brace for City on his European home debut just four days later on 26 February, dedicating the goals to his cousin who had died the previous night.
Bellamy opened his account for the 2009–10 season with a goal in City's 4–2 win over Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
on 12 September 2009, before setting up Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers and the England national team. He is the adopted son of former England international, Ian Wright and the half-brother of fellow professional football player Bradley Wright-Phillips...
for City's 4th goal, with a brilliant run from his own half. He followed that up a week later with two goals against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in a 4–3 derby defeat. His first was a brilliant 20-yard strike from the edge of the 18-yard box, his second came after Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...
gifted possession to Martin Petrov
Martin Petrov
Martin Petyov Petrov is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League.-Club career:Petrov began his career for Botev Vratsa...
, who played the ball through to Bellamy who rounded United keeper Ben Foster
Ben Foster (footballer)
Benjamin Anthony "Ben" Foster is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for West Bromwich Albion, on loan from Birmingham City, and internationally for the England national team.-Stoke City:...
, to make the score 3–3 in the first minute of injury-time. The former goal was later named Goal of the Month for September 2009. After this derby a fan invaded the pitch but was dealt with by stewards quickly. While the fan was being escorted from the field, TV footage showed that Bellamy slapped the fan in the face. He was given a warning by the FA about his future conduct, however Manchester City stated they would not discipline Bellamy, instead offering their support to him.
As he became ever more popular with the Manchester City fans, Bellamy's next goal came at Villa Park on 5 October 2009, earning a point for his team after being 1–0 down at half-time. On 7 November 2009, Bellamy scored in a 3–3 draw against Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
at the City of Manchester Stadium. He then scored again on 19 December against Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
in the 4–3 victory, which turned out to be Mark Hughes' last game in charge of the club. Bellamy was said to be upset at Hughes' dismissal, and has subsequently been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Arsenal and dropped to the bench in Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
's first game in charge against Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. However, he played in matches under Mancini and made clear his desire to stay at Manchester City for the foreseeable future. He scored the equaliser against Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
, before losing 3–1 in Fifth round replay of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. Bellamy then scored two goals at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
in the 4–2 win against Chelsea, giving Manchester City their first win at Stamford Bridge in 17 years.
In August 2010, Bellamy stated that he feared that he would be omitted from Manchester City's 25-man squad for the 2010-11 Premier League season and even hinted at retirement. On 11 August 2010, he was left out of Manchester City's 23 man Europa League squad to face Timisoara. The next week Bellamy was allowed to train with Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, fueling speculation that he might sign for his hometown club. When asked about such a move, Bellamy said that he would "love to play for Cardiff".
On 25 August 2011, it was reported that Liverpool were interested in re-signing Craig Bellamy, provided Manchester City are willing to let him leave on a "free transfer"
Cardiff City (loan)
On 17 August 2010, Bellamy signed for his hometown club, Cardiff CityCardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
on a season-long loan from Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. The deal kept him at the club until the end of the 2010–11 season. Cardiff manager Dave Jones confirmed that Bellamy would become team captain for the season with former captain Mark Hudson
Mark Hudson (footballer born 1982)
Mark Alexander Hudson is an English footballer who is the current club captain of Football League Championship side Cardiff City. He plays as a centre half.-Career:...
named club captain. He made his debut for the club on 21 August in a 4–0 win over Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
, in which he scored from a 35-yard free kick. After playing the subsequent game against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, Bellamy missed the next five games due to a knee injury but came back and scored in a 2–1 win against Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
on 2 October. Bellamy went on to score in four consecutive home league matches against Coventry, Leeds, Watford and Reading. Bellamy scored the winning goal in the South Wales derby
South Wales derby
The South Wales derby is a football local derby between Welsh clubs Cardiff City and Swansea City and is regarded as one of the most fierce rivalries in British football....
against on 6 February 2011 with a typical trademark Bellamy long shot in the dying minutes of the match.
Bellamy played a huge part in Cardiff's end of season push for promotion to the Premier League, creating numerous chances for team mates which lead to several assists and man of the match worthy performances. His talismanic influence was particularly evident in the 2–2 draw with league leaders in April in which he scored the second goal. However, Cardiff led twice in the game before Adel Taarabt
Adel Taarabt
Adel Taarabt is a Moroccan footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers as an Attacking midfielder and can also be used as a winger....
's brace held them to a draw. Automatic promotion was still a possibility if Cardiff won their remaining games in the season. However a horrendous 3-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough condemned Cardiff to settle for a 4th place finish and a play off spot for the second season running. Bellamy scored his last goal of the season with a superbly taken volley in the 90th minute to salvage a draw away at Turf Moor against Burnley. Going into the play offs, Bellamy suffered a hamstring injury in the first leg away to Reading, which meant he had to leave the field during the first half of the game. Cardiff went on to draw the match but then failed to capture promotion after losing 3–0 to in the second leg of the semi-final, with Bellamy sorely missed by the Bluebirds due to his absence with a hamstring injury.
Bellamy stated that he would like to stay at Cardiff City
Cardiff city
Cardiff City may refer to:* Cardiff city centre* Cardiff City Council* Cardiff City F.C.* Cardiff City L.F.C.* Cardiff City Stadium...
beyond his loan spell to achieve his dream of them one day playing in the Premier League. After Cardiff manager Dave Jones' sacking, Bellamy became a surprise favourite to take over. However,tje new Cardiff boss, Malky Mackay
Malky Mackay
Malcolm George "Malky" Mackay is a Scottish football manager and former player, who played as a central defender. He is currently the manager of Cardiff City. Mackay began his playing career in Scottish football, with Queen's Park and Celtic. He joined English side Norwich City in 1998, remaining...
, who knew Bellamy from their days at Norwich, did not say whether he would attempt to sign Bellamy. Bellamy tried to "plead" with Manchester City to let him go on a free transfer after they put a £4m price tag on him.
Return to Liverpool
On transfer deadline day, 31 August 2011, Bellamy returned to LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on a free transfer and took the number 39 shirt. The following day, boyhood club Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
revealed that they had failed in a last minute bid for the striker. Bellamy commented on the move "I've grown up with Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
, now to be signed by him is a massive honour. It's been a long couple of months, I had to be patient and believe something like this could happen." Bellamy's returning debut came against Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
in a 1-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium
Britannia Stadium
The Britannia Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England and the home of Premier League club Stoke City Football Club. With space for 27,598 spectators . The name is taken from the sponsors of the Stadium the Britannia Co-operative Bank...
. He scored his first goal for Liverpool since his return against Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in the seventh minute of the game. He also rattled the bar from a 40 yard free kick. He scored his first league goal of his second spell on 22 October 2011 against Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
in a 1-1 draw. On 27 November 2011, Bellamy was withdrawn from the team for the game against Manchester City due to the death of his friend and coach Gary Speed
Gary Speed
Gary Andrew Speed, MBE was a Welsh football player and manager. He was captain of the Wales national football team until he retired from international football in 2004 and he remains the most capped outfield player for Wales and the second overall, having appeared 85 times at senior level between...
. Two days later he returned to the team and contributed 2 assists for Martin Kelly
Martin Kelly
Martin Ronald Kelly is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool as a right back, although he spent most of his Academy career playing as a centre back.-2007–08:...
and Maxi Rodriguez in a 2-0 win over Chelsea FC to ensure Liverpool qualified for the semi final of the League Cup.
International career
Bellamy made his international debut for Wales on 25 March 1998, in a friendly game against JamaicaJamaica national football team
The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
as a substitute in place of Gareth Taylor
Gareth Taylor
Gareth Keith Taylor is a Welsh former footballer who is now working as a coach at Premier League club Manchester City....
. He scored his first goal for his country in his next match on 4 June 1998 during a 3–0 win over Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
. He added goals against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
and Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
before, on 16 October 2002, he scored possibly his most famous goal for Wales in their Euro 2004 qualifying victory over Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, rounding Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history...
to score Wales' winning goal.
In October 2006, Bellamy was awarded the captain's armband by Welsh manager John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
when Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
was unavailable through injury for the Euro 2008 qualifying match against Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
on 7 October 2006. His captaincy got off to a poor start with a 5–1 defeat at home to the Slovaks. However, just four days later, in his second game as captain against Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
, Wales won 3–1, with Bellamy scoring the third for his country, after setting up Robert Earnshaw
Robert Earnshaw
Robert Earnshaw is a Welsh footballer who plays for Cardiff City and Wales. He is the only player to have scored a hat-trick in the English Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two , the League Cup, the FA Cup and for his country at International level.Earnshaw was born in Mufulira,...
for his side's second. In June 2007, Ryan Giggs announced his retirement from international football which resulted in Bellamy being named permanent captain by Toshack. He earned his 50th international cap in a friendly against Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
in May 2008.
In October 2010 a 'club v country' row emerged as Bellamy played a full match for Cardiff City, despite his manager Dave Jones claiming Bellamy was too injured to play for Wales. Bellamy stood down as Wales captain on 6 January 2011 due to knee injuries.
Bellamy is the fifth highest goalscorer in Wales' history, behind Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
, Trevor Ford
Trevor Ford
Trevor Ford was a Welsh international centre forward footballer who played for Aston Villa, Cardiff City, Sunderland and Swansea Town. He was born and died in Swansea.-Football career:...
, Ivor Allchurch
Ivor Allchurch
Ivor John Allchurch MBE was a Welsh international footballer. His brother was Len Allchurch.Known as 'The Golden Boy' of Welsh football, Allchurch played for Swansea Town, Newcastle United and Cardiff City, where he amassed 691 games scoring 249 goals. His record of 68 caps for Wales stood until...
and
Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
.
International goals
- Scores and results list Wales' goal tally first.
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 3 June 1998 Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard AttardĦ'Attard is a village located at the centre-most point of the island of Malta. Together with Balzan and Lija it forms part of "the Three Villages" and has been inhabited since the Classical Period. Ħ'Attard's traditional Latin motto is Florigera rosis halo due to its many flower gardens and citrus...
, MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
1–0 3–0 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...2. 10 October 1998 Parken Stadium Parken StadiumParken Stadium is a football stadium in the Indre Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built from 1990–1992. It currently has a capacity of 38,065 for football games, and is the home ground of F.C. Københaven and the Danish national football team...
, CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. 3. 5 September 2001 Ullevaal Stadion Ullevaal StadionUllevaal Stadion is an all-seater football stadium located in Oslo, Norway. It is the home ground of Vålerenga IF and the Norway national football team, and the site of the Norwegian Cup Final. From its opening in 1926 to 2009 it was the home ground of FK Lyn. With a capacity of 25,572, it is the...
, OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
2–1 2–3 2002 World Cup Qual. 2002 FIFA World Cup qualificationA total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition....4. 13 February 2002 Millennium Stadium Millennium StadiumThe Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
1–0 1–1 Friendly 5. 16 October 2002 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2004 Qual. 6. 29 March 2003 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 1–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2004 Qual. 7. 18 August 2004 Skonto Stadium, Riga RigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, LatviaLatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
2–0 2–0 Friendly 8. 9 February 2005 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 1–0 2–0 Friendly 9. 2–0 10. 11 October 2006 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 3–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual. 11. 14 November 2006 Racecourse Ground Racecourse GroundThe Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League...
, WrexhamWrexhamWrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, Wales3–0 4–0 Friendly 12. 26 May 2007 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales 1–1 2–2 Friendly 13. 2–2 14. 12 September 2007 Štadión Antona Malatinského Štadión Antona MalatinskéhoŠtadión Antona Malatinského is a football stadium in Trnava, Slovakia.- Usage :It is currently used mostly for football matches of FC Spartak Trnava. The stadium holds 18,448 people. It is named after former famous footballer and coach Anton Malatinský....
, TrnavaTrnavaTrnava is a city in western Slovakia, 47 km to the north-east of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a kraj and of an okres . It was the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishopric . The city has a historic center...
, SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
2–1 5–2 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual. 15. 3–1 16. 19 November 2008 Brøndby Stadium Brøndby StadiumBrøndby Stadium is the homeground of football club Brøndby IF, situated in the Greater Copenhagen area. It is referred to as Vilfort Park among Brøndby supporters, named after club legend Kim Vilfort.-History:...
, Brøndby, Denmark1–0 1–0 Friendly 17. 10 October 2009 Helsinki Olympic Stadium Helsinki Olympic StadiumThe Helsinki Olympic Stadium , located in the Töölö district about from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952...
, HelsinkiHelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
1–1 1–2 2010 World Cup Qual. 2010 FIFA World Cup qualificationThe qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament...18. 11 August 2010 Parc y Scarlets Parc y ScarletsParc y Scarlets is a rugby union stadium in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, that opened in November 2008 as the new home of the Scarlets and Llanelli RFC. The ground replaced Stradey Park, the home of Llanelli's rugby teams for almost 130 years...
, LlanelliLlanelliLlanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, Wales5–1 5–1 Friendly 19. 12 November 2011 Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff CardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales2–0 4–1 Friendly
Personal life
Bellamy was raised in Menai Way, Trowbridge, CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, where his family still live today. He attended Baden Powell Primary School, Trowbridge Junior School
Trowbridge Junior School
-Future:For the academic year of 2010/2011, Trowbridge Junior School and Trowbridge Infant School will close and a brand new Primary school will open on the Junior school site. Building has already began and the new Primary School is set to open in January 2011...
and Rumney High School
Rumney High School
Rumney High School is an English medium co-educational, community school in the Rumney area of Cardiff, Wales. The school serves the communities of Rumney, Trowbridge and St Mellons on the eastern side of Cardiff and was opened in the 1950s alongside Llanrumney High School...
. He played football at a junior level for Caer Castell FC, where his father was manager. He was said to have been a keen Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
supporter in his youth, alongside his hometown club, Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
.
Bellamy married his teenage sweetheart Claire Jansen in June 2006 at St Bride's Church in the village of St Bride's-super-Ely, near Cardiff. The couple have three children, sons Ellis, who is currently a member of the youth development system at Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
, and Cameron and daughter Lexie. Prior to his move to Cardiff City, Bellamy lived in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
for most of the week, while his wife and children lived in the family home in Peterston-super-Ely
Peterston-super-Ely
Peterston-super-Ely is a village in the Welsh county of the Vale of Glamorgan.As its name suggests, the village lies on the River Ely, on the other side of which is the Coryton estate. The local parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter...
.
Violence
Although Bellamy has never been convicted of assault, he is alleged to have been involved in several violent incidents.- On 29 November 2006, after a trial lasting five days, a court cleared him assaulting two women in CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. - In 2007, when a drunken Bellamy allegedly confronted then-Liverpool team-mate John Arne RiiseJohn Arne RiiseJohn Arne Semundseth Riise is a Norwegian footballer who currently plays as a left wing-back for Fulham and the Norwegian national team. Riise spent seven years playing for Premier League side Liverpool before moving to Roma in 2008...
with a golf club. - On 22 September 2009, during a game against Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at Old TraffordOld TraffordOld Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, Bellamy clashed with a pitch invader. - On 12 January 2011, Bellamy was arrested and bailed on an alleged assault claim in Cardiff, in which two men suffered facial injuries.
Football Foundation
On 6 May 2008 plans were announced for the building of the Craig Bellamy Foundation for disadvantaged children in FreetownFreetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. Bellamy has visited the war-torn West African country and has reportedly been moved to invest £650,000 of his own money to help build a football academy to develop the country's young football talent.
Honours
CelticCeltic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
Winner:
- Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
: 20052005 Scottish Cup FinalThe 2005 Scottish Cup Final was played on 28 May 2005 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 119th Scottish Cup. The final was contested by Celtic and Dundee United. Celtic won the match with an eleventh minute goal from Alan Thompson....
Runner Up:
- Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
: 2005
Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
Winner:
- FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
: 20062006 FA Community ShieldThe 2006 FA Community Shield was a football match played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 13 August 2006 between the 2005–06 FA Premier League champions Chelsea and 2005–06 FA Cup winners Liverpool. Liverpool won the match 2–1, with goals coming from John Arne Riise and Peter Crouch...
Runner Up:
- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2006–07
Manchester City
Runner Up:
- Vodacom ChallengeVodacom ChallengeThe Vodacom Challenge is a association football pre-season tournament that features Vodacom-sponsored South African giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs plus from 2006 onwards an invited European club...
: 2009
Career statistics
|-|1996–97||rowspan="5"|Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
||rowspan="5"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|1997–98||36||13||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||38||13
|-
|1998–99||40||17||colspan="2"|-||5||2||colspan="2"|-||45||19
|-
|1999–2000||4||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||2
|-
|2000–01||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||1||0
|-
|2000–01||Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
||rowspan="5"|Premier League||34||6||2||1||3||1||colspan="2"|-||39||8
|-
|2001–02||rowspan="4"|Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
||27||9||3||0||3||4||6||1||39||14
|-
|2002–03||29||7||1||0||colspan="2"|-||6||2||36||9
|-
|2003–04||16||5||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||5||24||10
|-
|2004–05||21||7||1||0||2||0||5||3||29||10
|-
|2004–05||Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
||Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||12||7||3||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||9
|-
|2005–06||Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
||rowspan="6"|Premier League||27||13||1||2||4||2||colspan="2"|-||32||17
|-
|2006–07||Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
||27||7||colspan="2"|-||2||0||12||2||41||9
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="2"|West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
||8||2||colspan="2"|-||1||2||colspan="2"|-||9||4
|-
|rowspan="2"|2008–09||16||5||1||0||||||||||17||5
|-
|rowspan="2"|Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
||8||3||colspan="2"|-||0||0||3||2||11||5
|-
|2009–10||32||10||3||1||5||0||colspan="2"|-||40||11
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Football League Championship
The 2010–11 Football League Championship was the seventh season of the league under its current name and nineteenth season under its current league division format...
||Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||35||11||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||36||11
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...
||Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
||Premier League||6||1||0||0||2||1||colspan="2"|-||8||2
|-
!colspan="3"|Premier League
!262!!82!!12!!4!!22!!10!!40!!15!!336!!111
|-
350||119||13||4||26||12||40||15||427||149
12||7||3||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||9
362||126||16||6||26||12||40||15||442||158