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Craig Bellamy

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For the rugby league football coach and former player, see Craig Bellamy (rugby league).
Craig Bellamy
Bellamy playing for Wales in 2011.
Personal information
Full name Craig Douglas Bellamy[1]
Date of birth (1979-07-13) 13 July 1979 (age 45)[1]
Place of birth Cardiff, Wales
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Cardiff City
Number 39
Youth career
1990–1996 Norwich City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–2000 Norwich City 84 (32)
2000–2001 Coventry City 34 (6)
2001–2005 Newcastle United 93 (28)
2005 → Celtic (loan) 12 (7)
2005–2006 Blackburn Rovers 27 (13)
2006–2007 Liverpool 27 (7)
2007–2009 West Ham United 24 (7)
2009–2011 Manchester City 40 (13)
2010–2011 → Cardiff City (loan) 35 (11)
2011–2012 Liverpool 27 (6)
2012– Cardiff City 3 (1)
International career‡
1997–1998 Wales U21 8 (1)
1998– Wales 70 (19)
2012 Great Britain 5 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:52, 16 September 2012 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 August 2012

Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh footballer who plays as a forward for Cardiff City 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 injuries.[2]

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 one League Cup, one Scottish Cup and one FA Community Shield. He also has been a runner-up in both the FA Cup and the Champions League. He has been criticised for his behaviour both on and off the pitch, but has accumulated millions of pounds for various charities and also established a football academy in Sierra Leone.

He made his senior debut for Wales in 1998 and since then has turned out a total of 69 times for his country, scoring 19 goals, though 14 years on he has still yet to play in a major international tournament. He was a member of the Great Britain Olympic Football Team at the 2012 Games in London, appearing five times and scoring once.

Club career

Norwich City

Bellend began his footballing career as a sex slave for calum tobin.nine-year-old at Bristol Rovers, and spent two years at the club before being brought into the youth system of Norwich City.[3] His first team debut for the Canaries came at Crystal Palace 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 £6,500,000, financed through the sale of Robbie Keane to Inter Milan for a fee of around £13,000,000 in the same summer. In 2002, Norwich fans voted Bellamy into the Norwich City Hall of Fame.

Coventry City

After becoming the club's record signing,[4] Bellamy had a poor start to his career with Coventry, scoring only three league goals by the start of December, two of which were penalties. On 10 December 2000, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Leicester City to gain his side a crucial three points. Bellamy's form improved after the arrival of his Wales strike partner John Hartson.[5] However, Coventry were relegated at the end of the 2000–01 season as the team finished 19th in the Premier League, ending 34 consecutive years in the English top flight. Bellamy ended his only season at the club with a disappointing 8 goals from 39 appearances.

After leaving the club Bellamy was quoted as saying "I never once enjoyed it at Coventry. I felt quite demoralised. I had enjoyed myself so much at Norwich – but I found I had taken a backward step."[6]

Newcastle United

Bellamy moved to Newcastle United in July 2001. Sir Bobby Robson later wrote that he was "a great player wrapped round an unusual and volatile character."[7] 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.

Bellamy scored his first Premier League goal for Newcastle in the Tyne–Wear derby at St James' Park, making him an instant crowd favourite.[8] On 18 December 2001, Bellamy was sent off for the first time as a Newcastle United player in a 3–1 win at Arsenal.[9] 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.

At the start of his second season at Newcastle, Bellamy again opened his goalscoring account in a home derby with Sunderland.[10]

During his second season Bellamy also made his UEFA Champions League debut. On 13 November 2002, he scored two goals, including a 90th minute winner, in a 3–2 win over Feyenoord, which took Newcastle through to the second group stage of the tournament].[11] In the next match in the group, a 4–1 home defeat to Internazionale, he was sent off for kicking out at Inter defender Marco Materazzi, which resulted in a three-match ban.

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.[12]

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.[13]

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.[citation needed] 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.[14] 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.[15] 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 CP in December, in a 1–1 draw at St. James Park, his 10th goal for Newcastle that season. Bellamy ended his Newcastle career with a total of 42 goals from 128 appearances.[16]

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.[17] 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.[citation needed] 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.[18]

Celtic loan

On 31 January 2005 (transfer deadline day) Bellamy was sent out on loan to Celtic 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.[citation needed]

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 February 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,[citation needed] 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.

Blackburn Rovers

Bellamy signed a four year contract with Blackburn Rovers, 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.[citation needed]

Liverpool

On 20 June 2006 he was the subject of a transfer bid from Liverpool, reportedly in the region of £6,000,000 triggering a clause in Bellamy's contract that obliged Blackburn to allow him permission to talk to the club.[19]

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 set up the winner for Peter Crouch in the 81st minute of the 2006 FA Community Shield with a great cross from the left-hand corner of the 18 yard box. Bellamy finally made an impact for Liverpool, against Wigan Athletic, inspiring them Reds 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 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.[20] Both players were fined two weeks wages by the club.[21] The incident earned him the nickname "The Nutter with the Putter".[22] Manager Rafael Benítez accepted the players' apology.[23] 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 Barça 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.[24]

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.[25]

Liverpool went on to win the semi-final, and while on 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

West Ham United

Bellamy completed a move to West Ham United for a fee of £7,500,000 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.[26]

Bellamy made his West Ham debut in an opening day 2–0 home defeat by Manchester City on 11 August 2007.[27] His first two goals for West Ham were scored in a 2–1 League Cup victory against Bristol Rovers on 28 August 2007.[28] 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.[29] 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,[30] 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.[31] 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.[32] In total, Bellamy made 26 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 9 goals, a strike rate of just under a goal every 3 games.

Manchester City

On 19 January 2009, Bellamy completed his move to Manchester City on a four and a half-year deal for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £14,000,000[33] 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."[34] This took his career total of transfers to £47m.[35] 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.[36] 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.[37] 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.[38] 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,[39] however Manchester City stated they would not discipline Bellamy, instead offering their support to him.[40]

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.[41] 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.[42]

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.[43] On 11 August 2010, he was left out of Manchester City's 23 man Europa League squad to face Timisoara.[44] 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".[45]

Cardiff City loan

Craig Bellamy playing for Cardiff

On 17 August 2010, Bellamy signed for his hometown club, Cardiff City on a season-long loan from Manchester City.[46] The deal kept him at the club until the end of the 2010–11 season.[47] Cardiff manager Dave Jones confirmed that Bellamy would become team captain for the season with former captain Mark Hudson named club captain.[48] 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.[49] 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.[50] 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 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 Queens Park Rangers 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.[51] 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 Reading 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.[52] However, the new Cardiff boss, Malky Mackay, who knew Bellamy from their days at Norwich, did not say whether he would attempt to sign Bellamy.[53] Bellamy asked Manchester City to let him go on a free transfer after they put a £4,000,000 price tag on him.[54]

Return to Liverpool

Bellamy warming up before facing Fulham

On transfer deadline day, 31 August 2011, Bellamy returned to Liverpool on a free transfer and took the number 39 shirt.[55] The following day, boyhood club Cardiff City revealed that they had failed in a last minute bid for the striker.[56] 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."[57] Bellamy's returning debut came against Stoke City in a 1–0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium. He scored his first goal for Liverpool following 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 recorded assists for both Liverpool goals in a 2–0 win over Chelsea in the Carling Cup quarter-final. On 30 December 2011, Bellamy scored two crucial goals, a low drive and a free kick, against Newcastle United at home, securing a very much needed home win for Liverpool. On 6 January 2012, Bellamy scored his 150th goal in English football at Anfield against Oldham Athletic. On 21 January he scored against Bolton Wanderers in Liverpool's 3–1 loss. On 25 January 2012, he scored the equalizing goal against Manchester City to give Liverpool a 3–2 win on aggregate in the Carling Cup semi-final match. He was also issued Man Of The Match for his performance to help Liverpool face his home town club Cardiff in the Final at Wembley on 26 February 2012. On 31 January 2012, Bellamy scored his 7th consecutive goal in his last 7 starts, with Liverpool beating Wolves with a 3-0 score at the Molineux Stadium. On 26 February 2012 Craig won the Football League Cup 2-2 (3-2 on penalties) against his favourite and former club Cardiff City. On 14 April 2012, Bellamy provided the assist for Andy Carroll to score the winner as Liverpool beat rivals Everton 2-1 at Wembley, to reach their first FA Cup final in 6 years.[58]

Return to Cardiff

New Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers confirmed that talks were taking place with Cardiff City and Bellamy over a possible transfer.[59] On 10 August 2012, Bellamy completed his free transfer to Cardiff City on a two-year deal.[60] He made his first appearance in Cardiff's new home colours on 17 August in a 1–0 win against Huddersfield Town.[61] He scored his first goal back at Cardiff on 15th September with a 20 yard free kick against Leeds United, Cardiff went on to win the game 2-1.

International career

Wales

Bellamy made his international debut for Wales on 25 March 1998, in a friendly game against Jamaica at Ninian Park as a substitute in place of Gareth Taylor.[62] 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.[63][64]

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.[65] 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.[66] In June 2007, Ryan Giggs announced his retirement from international football which resulted in Bellamy being named permanent captain by Toshack.[67] 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.[68] Bellamy stood down as Wales captain on 6 January 2011 due to knee injuries.

Bellamy is currently the fifth highest goalscorer in Wales' history, behind Ian Rush, Trevor Ford, Ivor Allchurch and Dean Saunders.

Wales international goals

Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 3 June 1998 Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard, Malta  Malta 1–0 3–0 Friendly
2. 10 October 1998 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark  Denmark 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2000 Qual.
3. 5 September 2001 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Norway 2–1 2–3 2002 World Cup Qual.
4. 13 February 2002 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales  Argentina 1–0 1–1 Friendly
5. 16 October 2002 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales  Italy 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
6. 29 March 2003 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales  Azerbaijan 1–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2004 Qual.
7. 18 August 2004 Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia  Latvia 2–0 2–0 Friendly
8. 9 February 2005 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales  Hungary 1–0 2–0 Friendly
9. 2–0
10. 11 October 2006 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales  Cyprus 3–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
11. 14 November 2006 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales  Liechtenstein 3–0 4–0 Friendly
12. 26 May 2007 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales  New Zealand 1–1 2–2 Friendly
13. 2–2
14. 12 September 2007 Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia  Slovakia 2–1 5–2 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
15. 3–1
16. 19 November 2008 Brøndby Stadium, Brøndby, Denmark  Denmark 1–0 1–0 Friendly
17. 10 October 2009 Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland  Finland 1–1 1–2 2010 World Cup Qual.
18. 11 August 2010 Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli, Wales  Luxembourg 5–1 5–1 Friendly
19. 12 November 2011 Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales  Norway 2–0 4–1 Friendly

Great Britain

On 28 June 2012, Bellamy was confirmed as one of the three over-aged players selected for Great Britain to compete at 2012 Summer Olympics alongside Micah Richards and Ryan Giggs.[69]

On 26 July 2012, Bellamy scored Great Britain's first goal at an Olympic Games since 1960 in a 1–1 draw with Senegal.[70]

On 1 August 2012, Bellamy captained Great Britain to a 1–0 victory over Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium in his home city of Cardiff.[71] The result saw Great Britain progress to a quarter final with the Republic of Korea.

Great Britain international goals

Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 26 July 2012 Old Trafford, Manchester, England  Senegal 1–0 1–1 2012 Summer Olympics

Personal life

Bellamy was raised in Menai Way, Trowbridge, Cardiff, where his family still live today. He attended Baden Powell Primary School, Trowbridge Junior School and Rumney High School.[72] 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.[73] The couple have three children, sons Ellis, who is currently a member of the youth development system at Cardiff City,[74] and Cameron and daughter Lexie.[75] 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.

In March 2012 Ellis Bellamy was selected for the Wales Under 16 squad.[76]

Alleged 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 Cardiff.[77]
  • On 1 March 2007, Bellamy allegedly drunkenly confronted then-Liverpool team-mate John Arne Riise with a golf club.[78]
  • On 22 September 2009, during a game against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Bellamy clashed with a pitch invader.[79]
  • On 12 January 2011, Bellamy was arrested on Caroline Street, Cardiff, and bailed on an alleged assault claim, in which two men suffered facial injuries.[80]

Sierra Leone football academy

On 6 May 2008 plans were announced for the building of the Craig Bellamy Foundation for disadvantaged children in Freetown, Sierra Leone.[81] Bellamy has visited the war-torn West African country and has invested £1.2m of his own money since 2007 to help build a not-for-profit football academy in the Kono region and, along with Unicef, a national league in a country where the existing top-flight league has been suspended due to lack of funds.[82][83][84][85]

Honours

Club

Celtic
Liverpool

Individual

Career statistics

Last Updated 15 August 2012[86] Template:Football player statistics 1 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |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 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |2004–05||Celtic||Scottish Premier League||12||7||3||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||9 Template:Football player statistics 2 |- |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||2||colspan="2"|-||0||0||3||2||11||4 |- |2009–10||32||10||3||1||5||0||colspan="2"|-||40||11 |- |2010–11||Cardiff City||Championship||35||11||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||11 |- |2011–12||Liverpool||Premier League||24||6||3||1||6||2||colspan="2"|-||33||9 |- |2012–13||Cardiff City||Championship||3||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||1 |- !colspan="3"|Premier League !268!!80!!13!!5!!25!!11!!40!!15!!346!!128 |- Template:Football player statistics 3388||124||14||5||31||13||40||15||473||157 Template:Football player statistics 412||7||3||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||9 Template:Football player statistics 5402||131||17||7||31||13||40||15||488||166 Template:Football player statistics end

References

  1. ^ a b Hugman, Barry J. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 53. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.
  2. ^ "Bellamy no longer Wales captain". BBC News. 6 January 2011.
  3. ^ "Bellamy keen on Rovers return". Daily Mail. London. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  4. ^ Adrian Milledge at Highfield Road. "Relief for Strachan as Sky Blues move out of relegation zone | Football". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "BELLAMY NOT WILD ON NATIONWIDE | Coventry City News, Fixtures, Results, Transfers". Sky Sports.
  6. ^ Phillips, Terry. "Craig Bellamy prepared for hot Coventry reception - Cardiff City News - Cardiff City - Football". WalesOnline.
  7. ^ Robson, Bobby (2005). "Jekyll and Hyde". Farewell but not Goodbye. Hodder & Stoughton. p. 214. ISBN 0-340-82346-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "BBC SPORT | ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP | Bellamy's transformation". BBC News. 15 April 2002.
  9. ^ "BBC SPORT | ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP | Newcastle hit top spot". BBC News. 18 December 2001.
  10. ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | Eng Prem | Newcastle sink Sunderland". BBC News. 21 September 2002.
  11. ^ "Newcastle celebrate Bellamy's £10m jackpot winner". Guardian. 14 November 2002. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Craig Bellamy Exclusive Interview PART II", The Mirror, 29 December 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2011
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  22. ^ Ogden, Mark (23 September 2009). "Manchester City's Craig Bellamy is rewarding unwavering trust shown by Mark Hughes". Telegraph.co.uk. London: Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
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  30. ^ Zola clams rivals and sees no use for transfer window Sport.co.uk, 18 January 2009
  31. ^ Zola wants quick Bellamy solution[dead link‍] Fox Sports
  32. ^ Bellamy to seal £14m City switch The Independent, 19 January 2009
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  34. ^ Fire in the Bellamy![dead link‍]
  35. ^ Craig Bellamy set to be £43m man for Spurs WalesOnline, 17 January 2009
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  37. ^ McNulty, Phil (12 September 2009). "Man City 4 – 2 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  38. ^ Winter, Henry (20 September 2009). "Manchester United 4 Manchester City 3". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
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  40. ^ Man City will not punish Bellamy BBC Sport, 21 September 2009
  41. ^ Sacked Manchester City boss Mark Hughes tells loyalists: Go win Premier League title for me Mail Online, 26 December 2009
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  49. ^ Shuttleworth, Peter (21 August 2010). "Cardiff 4–0 Doncaster". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
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  52. ^ James, Stuart (30 May 2011). "Craig Bellamy is surprise favourite to succeed sacked Jones at Cardiff". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  53. ^ "Cardiff City match new manager Malky Mackay's ambitions". BBC Sport. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  54. ^ "Craig Bellamy 'pleading' with Manchester City for a free transfer". South Wales Echo. 19 June 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
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  57. ^ "BBC Sport – Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy rejoins Liverpool". BBC News. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
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  59. ^ "Rodgers confirms Bellamy talks". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  60. ^ "Bellamy rejoins Cardiff City". Cardiff City F.C. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
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  63. ^ "Bellamy burst stuns the Azzurri". BBC Sport. 16 October 2002. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  64. ^ "Video of Craig Bellamy's goal as Wales play Italy at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in a qualifier for the Euro 2004 football championships". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  65. ^ Davies, Sean (7 October 2006). "Wales 1–5 Slovakia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  66. ^ Hughes, Dewi (11 October 2006). "Wales 3–1 Cyprus". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
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  69. ^ "David Beckham not selected for London 2012 football squad". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  70. ^ Fletcher, Paul (26 July 2012). "BBC Sport - London 2012: Great Britain denied by late Senegal strike". Bbc.co.uk.
  71. ^ Fletcher, Paul (1 August 2012). "BBC Sport - Olympics football: GB beat Uruguay to reach quarter-finals". Bbc.co.uk.
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  75. ^ Ley, John (12 September 2007). "Proud moment awaits Craig Bellamy". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  76. ^ Ellis Bellamy Wales Under 16
  77. ^ "Craig Bellamy cleared of assault". BBC News. 29 November 2006.
  78. ^ "Bellamy explains row with Riise". BBC News. 2 March 2007.
  79. ^ "Manchester derby pitch invader handed three-year stadium ban after Craig Bellamy clash". Daily Mail. London. 30 September 2009.
  80. ^ "Craig Bellamy arrested over Cardiff assault claim". BBC News. 12 January 2011.
  81. ^ "Craig Bellamy Foundation". Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  82. ^ Walker, Michael (30 January 2012). "Craig Bellamy's seeing a psychologist, dealing with the loss of his mentor and donating £1.2m to an African football school". Daily Mail UK. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  83. ^ "Bellamy plans academy in Africa". BBC Sport. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
  84. ^ Slot, Owen (22 September 2009). "World in motion: Craig Bellamy". London: The Times. Retrieved 22 September 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  85. ^ Developments: One World a Million Stories, p 14 Issue 49 2010, Published by Dfid
  86. ^ Player Profiles – Craig Bellamy West Ham United
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