Craig Bellamy
![]() Bellamy playing for Wales in 2011. | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Craig Douglas Bellamy[1] | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 13 July 1979||
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.
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.[3] 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.[4][5]
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.[6] 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.[7] In June 2007, Ryan Giggs announced his retirement from international football which resulted in Bellamy being named permanent captain by Toshack.[8] 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.[9] 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 | ![]() |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
2. | 10 October 1998 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. |
3. | 5 September 2001 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–3 | 2002 World Cup Qual. |
4. | 13 February 2002 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | ![]() |
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, Latvia | ![]() |
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, Wrexham, Wales | ![]() |
3–0 | 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, Trnava, Slovakia | ![]() |
2–1 | 5–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qual. |
15. | 3–1 | |||||
16. | 19 November 2008 | Brøndby Stadium, Brøndby, Denmark | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
17. | 10 October 2009 | Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | ![]() |
1–1 | 1–2 | 2010 World Cup Qual. |
18. | 11 August 2010 | Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli, Wales | ![]() |
5–1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
19. | 12 November 2011 | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | ![]() |
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.[10]
On 26 July 2012, Bellamy scored Great Britain's first goal at an Olympic Games since 1960 in a 1–1 draw with Senegal.[11]
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.[12] 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 | ![]() |
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.[13] 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.[14] The couple have three children, sons Ellis, who is currently a member of the youth development system at Cardiff City,[15] and Cameron and daughter Lexie.[16] 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.[17]
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.[18]
- On 1 March 2007, Bellamy allegedly drunkenly confronted then-Liverpool team-mate John Arne Riise with a golf club.[19]
- On 22 September 2009, during a game against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Bellamy clashed with a pitch invader.[20]
- 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.[21]
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.[22] 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.[23][24][25][26]
Honours
Club
- Scottish Cup (1): 2004–05
- League Cup (1): 2011–12
- FA Community Shield (1): 2006
Individual
- PFA Young Player of the Year Award (1): 2001–02
- Scottish Premier League Player of the Month Award (1): March 2005
- Blackburn Rovers Player of the Season (1): 2005–06
- Wales Player of the Year Award (1): 2007
- Premier League Goal of the Month (2): April 2006, September 2009
Career statistics
Last Updated 15 August 2012[27] 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Bellamy no longer Wales captain". BBC News. 6 January 2011.
- ^ "doubtful for Wales friendly in Croatia". BBC Sport. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Bellamy burst stuns the Azzurri". BBC Sport. 16 October 2002. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Davies, Sean (7 October 2006). "Wales 1–5 Slovakia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ Hughes, Dewi (11 October 2006). "Wales 3–1 Cyprus". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Wales captain plans to lead Germany revolt". The Daily Mirror. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Bellamy return leaves Wales boss Flynn with egg on his face". Walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ "David Beckham not selected for London 2012 football squad". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
- ^ Fletcher, Paul (26 July 2012). "BBC Sport - London 2012: Great Britain denied by late Senegal strike". Bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Fletcher, Paul (1 August 2012). "BBC Sport - Olympics football: GB beat Uruguay to reach quarter-finals". Bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Craig Bellamy". Rumney High School. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
- ^ "Wedding bells for Bellers". Wales on Sunday. 4 June 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
- ^ "Bellamy junior called up for Wales development squad". South Wales Echo. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ Ley, John (12 September 2007). "Proud moment awaits Craig Bellamy". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
- ^ Ellis Bellamy Wales Under 16
- ^ "Craig Bellamy cleared of assault". BBC News. 29 November 2006.
- ^ "Bellamy explains row with Riise". BBC News. 2 March 2007.
- ^ "Manchester derby pitch invader handed three-year stadium ban after Craig Bellamy clash". Daily Mail. London. 30 September 2009.
- ^ "Craig Bellamy arrested over Cardiff assault claim". BBC News. 12 January 2011.
- ^ "Craig Bellamy Foundation". Retrieved 10 March 2010.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Bellamy plans academy in Africa". BBC Sport. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
- ^ 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) - ^ Developments: One World a Million Stories, p 14 Issue 49 2010, Published by Dfid
- ^ Player Profiles – Craig Bellamy West Ham United
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Craig Bellamy profile Liverpool FC
- Wales profile
- Craig Bellamy – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Craig Bellamy at Soccerbase
- The Craig Bellamy Foundation
- Use dmy dates from August 2012
- 1979 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Cardiff
- Welsh footballers
- Wales under-21 international footballers
- Wales international footballers
- Association football forwards
- Bristol Rovers F.C. players
- Norwich City F.C. players
- Coventry City F.C. players
- Newcastle United F.C. players
- Celtic F.C. players
- Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
- Liverpool F.C. players
- West Ham United F.C. players
- Manchester City F.C. players
- Cardiff City F.C. players
- The Football League players
- Premier League players
- Scottish Premier League players
- Olympic footballers of Great Britain
- Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics