158 Facts About Craig Bellamy

Craig Douglas Bellamy was born on 13 July 1979 and is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward and is current assistant manager at EFL Championship side Burnley.

Craig Bellamy signed for Premier League side Coventry City in 2000, breaking the club's record transfer fee, but suffered relegation in his only season.

Craig Bellamy joined Newcastle United the following year where he helped the club achieve two top-four finishes during a four year spell.

Craig Bellamy returned to the Premier League later that year, playing one season with both Blackburn Rovers, where he was named the club's player of the year, and Liverpool, helping the club reach the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final.

Craig Bellamy helped Cardiff reach the play-offs before they were defeated in the semi-finals.

Craig Bellamy returned to Liverpool the following season, winning the 2012 League Cup and reaching the FA Cup final, before rejoining Cardiff City permanently in 2012.

Craig Bellamy later led them to the Premier League; the first time in more than fifty years that Cardiff had played in the top tier of English football.

Craig Bellamy played one more season with the club in the Premier League, setting a new record by scoring for his seventh different club in the division, before retiring from playing in 2014.

Craig Bellamy was the captain of the side from 2007 to 2011, when he stepped down from the role due to recurring injuries.

Craig Bellamy retired from international football following the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.

Craig Bellamy was a member of the Great Britain Olympic team at the 2012 Olympics in London, appearing five times and scoring once.

Craig Bellamy has been involved in numerous high-profile incidents during his career with teammates, managers and members of the public and was described by Bobby Robson as "the gobbiest footballer I've ever met".

Craig Douglas Bellamy was born on 13 July 1979 at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, the second of three boys born to Douglas and Angela Bellamy.

Craig Bellamy's mother worked as a cleaner and his father worked at the nearby Allied Steel and Wire site that overlooked the family home, where he remained until the plant's closure in 2002.

Craig Bellamy suffers from asthma; as a child he made frequent visits to hospital to manage the condition.

Craig Bellamy's father played amateur football for local Cardiff-based sides; Bellamy described him as a "sluggish right-back".

Craig Bellamy credits playing against older children as making him "into a better player very quickly".

Craig Bellamy first attended Baden Powell Primary School before switching to Trowbridge Juniors where he joined the school football team at the age of seven.

Local team Pentwyn Dynamo took an interest in Craig Bellamy but were put off by his small size; his father instead offered to form a team if Craig Bellamy could find enough players.

Craig Bellamy was later picked to represent both Cardiff Schools and a Cardiff and District side in national competition.

Craig Bellamy went on to attend Rumney High School, but left the school with no GCSEs.

At the age of 12, Craig Bellamy became friends with a group of mostly older boys and began to regularly drink alcohol and skipped school for up to two weeks at a time.

Craig Bellamy saw several of his friends using cannabis and sniffing glue but denies ever using the substances himself.

Craig Bellamy later admitted to acting as a lookout while his friends broke into vehicles to steal car stereos to sell for drug money.

Craig Bellamy described himself as "a kid who knew he was going to be a footballer and thought he knew it all".

Craig Bellamy attended youth sessions organised by Cardiff City in Ely for a year after being encouraged by his father.

Craig Bellamy spent two years with Bristol Rovers before being spotted by a scout working for Norwich City.

Craig Bellamy's performances led to a permanent place with the Canary Rangers, Norwich's youth development side.

Craig Bellamy travelled to Norwich by train on Saturday afternoons, then played a youth match on Sunday morning before returning to Cardiff.

At the age of 15, Craig Bellamy moved away from Cardiff to start his youth apprenticeship with Norwich, being placed with a local family along with another apprentice.

Craig Bellamy was paired with John Polston but found the experienced defender difficult to work with and believed Polston tried to "humiliate" him.

Craig Bellamy's homesickness was lessened after he became friends with another apprentice from Cardiff, Tom Ramasut, but problems with his discipline became commonplace.

On one occasion, Craig Bellamy received a final warning from staff after he broke the arm of a trialist goalkeeper during a fight on the training ground; Craig Bellamy later wrote that he believed Norwich showed him leniency when disciplining him in fear of losing a player regarded as having a bright future.

Craig Bellamy reached a turning point in his career when his girlfriend Claire became pregnant while he was a youth player.

Craig Bellamy has credited the conception of his first child as a catalyst for his career that saw him become more determined to become a professional footballer, stating, "I have had the career I have had because of that moment when Claire phoned me up to tell me she was pregnant".

Craig Bellamy made his first career start in the opening month of the following season in the first round of the League Cup against Barnet on 12 August 1997, and started in the league for the first time on 20 September against Manchester City.

Craig Bellamy received his first career red card on 7 February 1998 in the 23rd minute against Manchester City, but finished his first full season with 13 goals from 38 appearances, while playing mostly as a central midfielder.

Craig Bellamy won support from his midfield partner, the experienced Peter Grant, who struck up a friendship with Craig Bellamy.

In December 1998, Craig Bellamy suffered an injury to his left knee following a high challenge by Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Kevin Muscat that ruled him out for two months and left him with a puncture wound in his kneecap caused by one of Muscat's studs.

Craig Bellamy continued to experience soreness in the knee after his return for the remainder of the season but ended the campaign with a career high 19 goals in all competitions.

Craig Bellamy made his return to the first team against Port Vale on 22 April 2000 and finished the season by scoring goals in consecutive matches against Barnsley and Sheffield United.

Craig Bellamy was reluctant to join the club, preferring a move to Newcastle; he met with Coventry manager Gordon Strachan to discuss the transfer.

Craig Bellamy did not employ an agent at the time so asked his financial advisor to attend the meeting.

Craig Bellamy's advisor had recently met former footballer John Fashanu and telephoned him for advice, leading to Fashanu arriving at the meeting unannounced.

Craig Bellamy became Coventry's record signing, joining on 16 August 2000 as a replacement for Robbie Keane.

Craig Bellamy ended his only season at Coventry with eight goals from 39 appearances.

Newcastle manager Bobby Robson later wrote that Craig Bellamy was "a great player wrapped round an unusual and volatile character".

Craig Bellamy was shown a straight red card in the match after being adjudged to have swung an arm at Ashley Cole, although the decision was overturned on appeal.

Under Robson, Craig Bellamy formed a productive strike partnership with Alan Shearer; the pair scored 41 goals between them during his first year.

Craig Bellamy remarked that his pace and creativity complemented Shearer's game.

Craig Bellamy was one of four players sent home from a winter training camp in La Manga after missing a team meal in honour of former chairman John Hall.

Craig Bellamy refuted the accusations and stated the incident was sparked by the student slamming the car door on his leg after she refused to get out.

Newcastle's title challenge gradually faded and Craig Bellamy missed most of the season's final months after tearing a tendon during a match against Sunderland.

Craig Bellamy featured once in the last three months of the campaign as Newcastle finished fourth.

Craig Bellamy underwent knee surgery during the summer break and was originally expected to be fit in time for the new season.

Craig Bellamy's rehabilitation was slow and he missed Newcastle's first four fixtures of the season.

Craig Bellamy reacted to being pinched, which resulted in him receiving a three-match ban.

Craig Bellamy began suffering from tendinitis in his knee and, following the death of his grandmother, experienced personal issues that culminated in an argument outside a Cardiff nightclub with a stranger.

Craig Bellamy was charged with the use of racially aggravated language over the incident.

Craig Bellamy missed several matches for Newcastle to ensure he was fit for Wales's matches.

Shepherd threatened to sue the Football Association of Wales if Craig Bellamy featured for Wales but this was later dismissed.

Craig Bellamy underwent the surgery but returned to Newcastle to be informed by Shepherd the club were willing to sell Craig Bellamy if he failed to return to form.

Craig Bellamy enjoyed a prolific scoring run following his return, scoring seven goals in two months before his season was ended due to a pulled hamstring as Newcastle finished fifth.

In March 2004, media reports stated Craig Bellamy threw a chair at first-team coach John Carver after a public argument between the pair.

The altercation occurred when the squad was travelling to play a UEFA Cup fixture with Real Mallorca and Craig Bellamy refused to travel.

Robson persuaded Craig Bellamy to attend the match after a lengthy discussion; Craig Bellamy praised Robson's handling of the incident and blamed the argument with Carver on pranks that had got out of hand.

Craig Bellamy's replacement was Graeme Souness, a coach with a reputation as a disciplinarian and he quickly clashed with Bellamy.

Minutes later, Craig Bellamy gave an interview saying he was prepared to play in any position for his club.

Days later, Craig Bellamy argued with Shearer and in an interview accused Souness of lying about him and his commitment to the club.

Craig Bellamy was told to apologise to Souness but refused to do so and was excluded from first-team training.

Craig Bellamy ended his Newcastle career with a total of 42 goals from 128 appearances.

On 31 January 2005, Craig Bellamy joined Scottish Premier League side Celtic on loan for the remainder of the season.

Craig Bellamy finished the season having scored 19 goals altogether for Newcastle and Celtic.

Craig Bellamy backed out of the transfer after his final meeting with Moyes, describing him as "tense and hostile".

Craig Bellamy instead signed for Blackburn Rovers, managed by his former Wales coach Mark Hughes, for an undisclosed fee.

Craig Bellamy described the presence of Hughes and Wales teammate Robbie Savage as a major factor in his decision to join the side.

Craig Bellamy was given the club's inaugural Player of the Year award, which was voted for by fans, and Hughes discussed plans with Craig Bellamy to appoint him team captain for the following season.

Craig Bellamy has credited Hughes with "restoring his career" during his time at Blackburn.

Craig Bellamy went on to set up the winning goal for Peter Crouch in the 81st minute of the 2006 FA Community Shield with a cross from the left-hand corner of the 18 yards box.

Craig Bellamy continued his good form throughout the month, scoring two weeks later against Charlton Athletic and soon after against Watford.

In February 2007, Craig Bellamy was involved in a fight with teammate John Arne Riise during a training session in Portugal ahead of a Champions League tie with Barcelona.

Craig Bellamy, fuelled by alcohol, remained irate and went to Riise's hotel room with a golf club.

Craig Bellamy was fined two weeks wages by the club.

The fee paid for Craig Bellamy was a club record at the time.

Craig Bellamy later described how being away from the family home in Cardiff for extended periods caused him to suffer from homesickness for the first time since he was a youth player.

Craig Bellamy spent mid-2008 in the Algarve training with a physiotherapist to regain fitness.

Craig Bellamy attracted the attention of several clubs; in the January 2009 transfer window he was the subject of a bidding war between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

Craig Bellamy later said Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp informed him that, despite having no interest in the player, Manchester City had threatened to sign Redknapp's transfer target Wilson Palacios as retaliation for Tottenham signing Craig Bellamy.

Craig Bellamy grew frustrated with the prolonged transfer negotiations and told staff at West Ham he wanted to remain and sign a new deal with the club.

Hughes stated, "I'm sure Craig Bellamy will be excellent for us, I think people will soon see why I wanted to bring him to the club".

Craig Bellamy arrived as part of Manchester City's increased spending following the investment of the Abu Dhabi United Group; Wayne Bridge, Nigel de Jong and Shay Given arrived within a week.

Craig Bellamy's first goal was a 20-yard strike from the edge of the 18-yard box which was later named Goal of the Month for September 2009.

Craig Bellamy received no contact from the FA over the incident and Manchester City stated they would not discipline Craig Bellamy, instead offering their support to him.

Mancini had introduced double sessions, which Craig Bellamy struggled to undertake due to his long injury history.

The next week, Craig Bellamy was allowed to train with Cardiff City, fuelling speculation he might sign for his hometown club.

On 17 August 2010, Craig Bellamy signed for Cardiff City on a season-long loan from Manchester City.

Cardiff manager Dave Jones confirmed Craig Bellamy would become team captain for the season with former captain Mark Hudson named club captain.

Craig Bellamy hoped to avoid further injury problems and hired Raymond Verheijen, his former fitness coach at Manchester City, to work with him during the season and paid Verheijen's wages himself.

Craig Bellamy scored in four consecutive home-league matches against Coventry, Leeds, Watford and Reading but rarely trained as much as the first team to rest his knee, which was swelling profusely after games.

Craig Bellamy scored the winning goal in the South Wales derby against Swansea City on 6 February 2011 with a long-range shot in the final minutes of the match; it was the first time Cardiff had won at their rival's ground since 1997.

Craig Bellamy stated that he would like to stay with Cardiff beyond his loan spell to achieve his dream of them one day playing in the Premier League.

Craig Bellamy returned to Manchester City for pre-season training but was placed in the club's reserves and was excluded from the first team.

Craig Bellamy eventually reached a settlement with the club to cancel the final year of his contract, allowing him to leave.

Craig Bellamy received offers from Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City but rejected both when Liverpool and Tottenham showed an interest in him.

Craig Bellamy chose to return to Liverpool, swayed by Kenny Dalglish's presence as manager.

Speed's death prompted Craig Bellamy to visit Steve Rogers, a psychologist, after fearing his own personal issues could leave him in a similar position.

The death of Speed and the breakup of Craig Bellamy's marriage prompted him to return to Cardiff to be closer to his children, despite new Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers offering him the chance to stay.

Talks over a possible transfer began and on 10 August 2012, Craig Bellamy completed his free transfer to Cardiff City on a two-year deal.

Craig Bellamy broke down in delight on the pitch at the end of the game, having achieved what he called "an impossible dream".

The goal meant Craig Bellamy became the first player to score for seven different clubs in the Premier League.

Craig Bellamy played 22 league games during the season but did not score another goal.

Craig Bellamy first represented Wales at schoolboy level in 1994 but came under pressure in an under-performing side.

The manager fielded telephone calls from the parents of other players who said Craig Bellamy was too small to play in the side.

Craig Bellamy progressed through the under-17 and under-18 levels before manager Tom Walley called him up to the under-21 side for the first time at the age of 16.

Craig Bellamy made his debut as a substitute in a match against San Marino, becoming the youngest player to represent the side.

Craig Bellamy began to regard the under-21 side as setting him back in his career as he was often relegated to the bench at Norwich after spending up to ten days at a time away on international duty.

Craig Bellamy was called into the senior Wales squad in 1998 by manager Bobby Gould, who was renowned for his unusual methods.

Craig Bellamy made his international debut on 25 March 1998 at the age of 18 as a substitute in place of Gareth Taylor in a friendly game against Jamaica at Ninian Park.

When Mark Hughes was appointed as Wales' manager, Craig Bellamy was suffering from injury and missed the first match to be played at the Millennium Stadium, although he was included in the training squad.

Craig Bellamy became involved in a row with his club side Newcastle over his participation after he postponed a knee operation to play in the qualifiers.

Craig Bellamy missed most of the new manager's first year due to injury.

Craig Bellamy has grown into the job since he has been with us, he has understood the extra responsibilities and it showed on the pitch.

In October 2010, a 'club v country' row emerged as Craig Bellamy played a full match for Cardiff City despite his manager Dave Jones claiming Craig Bellamy was too injured to play for Wales.

Craig Bellamy was planning to retire from international football due to continuing knee problems and to stand aside for a younger generation of players.

Craig Bellamy met with Speed in Cardiff to discuss his future.

Raymond Verheijen and Damian Roden, fitness coaches with whom Craig Bellamy had previously worked, were hired on his recommendation.

Craig Bellamy continued with Wales for a further 18 months under new manager Chris Coleman before announcing his retirement from international football after Wales' final 2014 World Cup qualifiers in October 2013.

Craig Bellamy ended his international career with 78 caps and 19 goals.

In June 2012, Craig Bellamy was confirmed as one of the three over-aged players selected by manager Stuart Pearce for Great Britain to compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics alongside Micah Richards and Giggs.

Craig Bellamy was named Great Britain's captain for the final group game, from which Giggs was absent.

Craig Bellamy was substituted minutes before the end of normal time.

Craig Bellamy has been described as having a dynamic style of play with quick, bursting technique and calmness under pressure.

Craig Bellamy began his career as a central midfielder, but was moved further forward during his time with Norwich and featured in several attacking roles, playing as both a winger and a centre-forward for the remainder of his career.

Craig Bellamy preferred playing a counter-attacking style of football as his pace often allowed him to exploit space behind the defenders as the opposition team pressed forward.

Hughes acknowledged that Craig Bellamy developed a reputation as being sometimes difficult to work with but stated, "If you understand him and support him, he will play his heart out for you".

Louise Taylor of The Guardian highlighted the considerable attacking threat that Craig Bellamy possessed and that his pace was "complemented by high-calibre finishing ability".

Toshack did concede that Craig Bellamy was an important attacking threat for the Welsh squad and that there was never a doubt over his inclusion.

Craig Bellamy's career was severely hampered by persistent injuries that restricted both the amount of time he could train and the number of matches he could play in close proximity.

Craig Bellamy returned to Cardiff as an academy coach on a voluntary basis.

Craig Bellamy agreed terms with Oxford but later withdrew his application after the club was taken over during the negotiations.

Craig Bellamy stepped down from his coaching role at Cardiff in January 2019 to defend himself against a claim of bullying a youth-team player.

An internal investigation by the club later resulted in Craig Bellamy issuing an apology over an "unacceptable coaching environment", although he was subject to no formal disciplinary action.

In June 2019, Craig Bellamy signed a three-year contract to become the under-21 team coach for Belgian side Anderlecht following the appointment of his former Manchester City teammate Vincent Kompany as manager.

Craig Bellamy later worked as an assistant to Kompany before stepping down from the role in September 2021 citing mental health issues.

Craig Bellamy has described himself as a "keen" supporter of both Liverpool and Cardiff City.

Craig Bellamy met Claire Jansen in Cardiff while they were teenagers.

Claire and Ellis remained in Cardiff while Craig Bellamy commuted to Norwich.

The couple eventually moved into their own accommodation in 1996 after Craig Bellamy signed his first professional playing contract.

Craig Bellamy proposed to Jansen on 13 July 2005 at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester, and they married in June 2006 at St Bride's Church in St Brides-super-Ely, a village near Cardiff.

In 2013, Craig Bellamy released his autobiography entitled GoodFella which was ghostwritten by journalist Oliver Holt.

Craig Bellamy wrote, "There would be weeks, sometimes months, when I couldn't get myself out of it".

Craig Bellamy is an advocate of mixed martial arts and has sponsored some of the fighters who train at Tillery Combat, a gym in Abertillery, Wales, providing them with supplements, kit and management advice through his company Shin2Chin.

In 2007, Craig Bellamy was invited to visit Sierra Leone by a friend.

Craig Bellamy was mobbed by fans and was unable to freely walk the streets without an armed police escort as crowds blocked roads trying to see him.

Craig Bellamy visited the country's diamond mining industry and was shocked at the poor living conditions of the workers, often children.

Craig Bellamy decided to set up a charity in the country and, on 6 May 2008, plans for The Craig Bellamy Foundation were announced in Sierra Leone.

The Craig Bellamy Foundation operated a nationwide youth league that was founded in conjunction with UNICEF.

Craig Bellamy is a supporter of Noah's Ark Children's Hospital for Wales, part of the University of Wales Hospital, where both he and his three children were born.