[78], With Newcastle seeking to sell, Bellamy attracted interest from numerous clubs, including Aston Villa, Fiorentina and Benfica, before agreeing terms with Everton following discussions with manager David Moyes. His first goal was a 20-yard (18m) strike from the edge of the 18-yard (16m) box which was later named Goal of the Month for September 2009. He joined Newcastle United the following year where he helped the club achieve two top-four finishes during a four year spell. [12][17] The club invited Bellamy to a trial match in Somerset where he impressed and was asked to travel with the side to compete in the Dana Cup, an international youth football tournament held in Hjrring, Denmark. [122], Bellamy's influence on the Cardiff team proved pivotal in the push for promotion, which included a 22 draw with league leaders Queens Park Rangers in April in which he scored the second goal. [107] Bellamy marked his debut for Manchester City on 28 January by scoring the winning goal in a 21 win against Newcastle United at the City of Manchester Stadium. The shock move came about due to Bellamy's well-publicised falling out . [189], His former Wales, Blackburn and Manchester City manager Mark Hughes said he loved having Bellamy on his teams because of "the intensity he brings" and "his desire to affect the game every single time he plays". Bellamy later stated, "I just whacked him across the buttocks with the club. [121] Manchester City had been wary of selling Bellamy to a potential divisional rival and had suggested the idea of a move to Cardiff, paying a large percentage of his wages to make the move. [204], Bellamy has described himself as a "keen" supporter of both Liverpool and Cardiff City. [139] Speed's death prompted Bellamy to visit Steve Rogers, a psychologist, after fearing his own personal issues could leave him in a similar position. [96] The fee paid for Bellamy was a club record at the time. [211] In his autobiography, Bellamy stated the couple split after "she decided she'd had enough. [155] Bellamy retired from football on 22 May 2014, saying; "I guess over the years I've become accustomed to the pain from various injuries, but for the last three to four years I've been on anti-inflammatories every day. Bellamy se casou com sua adolescente namorada Claire Jansen em junho de 2006 na Igreja de St noiva na vila de St Bride's-super-Ely, perto de Cardiff. [179] His final match for Wales on 15 October 2013 against Belgium ended as a 11 draw. [107][109] He argued with the group on more than one occasion and accused them of lacking effort following a 20 defeat against Portsmouth on 14 February 2009. [18] Bellamy's homesickness was lessened after he became friends with another apprentice from Cardiff, Tom Ramasut, but problems with his discipline became commonplace. [18] His first year away from home proved troublesome and he describes it as "the hardest year of my life", regularly crying himself to sleep at night after suffering from homesickness. Following his departure, Souness stated it was "him or me" at Newcastle and that allowing Bellamy to remain would have ended his managerial career. After Cardiff manager Dave Jones' sacking, Bellamy became a surprise favourite to succeed him. [118] The next week, Bellamy was allowed to train with Cardiff City, fuelling speculation he might sign for his hometown club. He visited the country's diamond mining industry and was shocked at the poor living conditions of the workers, often children. "[171] When Giggs returned to the Wales squad in November 2006, Bellamy was relieved of the captaincy but was named vice-captain. He returned to win his 50th international cap in a friendly against Iceland on 29 May. They wanted to bring me down a peg or two. [140], Featuring largely as a squad player, Bellamy made regular appearances as a substitute but enjoyed a prolonged run in the first team during the Christmas period after Luis Surez was banned for racially abusing an opponent. [8] As a boyhood fan of the club, Bellamy described the move as "like a dream" and took a reduction in wages to join Liverpool. Craig Bellamy. [42] Two weeks later, he scored a hat-trick in a 41 victory over Brentford in the League Cup, scoring all three goals within 12 minutes. So buzzing with all the comments about part 1, thank you so so. [81] He made his debut on the opening day of the 200506 season in a 31 defeat to West Ham United but picked up a thigh strain that ruled him out for several weeks. [175] Toshack resigned in September 2010 and Bellamy later criticised his former manager, stating; "The height of Toshack's ambitions appeared to be making sure we didn't get too heavily beaten rather than actually trying to win games. Claire and Ellis remained in Cardiff while Bellamy commuted to Norwich. [72] He made his debut for the club in a 20 defeat against Celtic's Old Firm rivals Rangers on 20 February. Obituary. [25] On 1 November, Bellamy scored his first senior goal, the opener in a 22 home draw with Bury. He 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. He is known as one of the greatest coaches in NRL history. [218] Operating in the Freetown, Bo, Kenema and Makeni regions, The Craig Bellamy Foundation League provided a national youth football framework for children; as well as on-pitch performance, points were awarded for school attendance, fair play and contributions to community projects. Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward and is current assistant manager at EFL Championship side Burnley. [122] He made his debut for Cardiff on 21 August in a 40 win over Doncaster Rovers, in which he scored from a 35-yard (32m) free kick. [14], At the age of 12, 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. He scored his first post-return goal for Liverpool against Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup on 21 September, while his first league goal of his second spell came a month later against Norwich City in a 11 draw. [24] During the early stages of the campaign, Bellamy played his tenth match for the first team, leading to new contract negotiations. He returned at the end of the 19992000 season, playing in friendlies against Brazil and Portugal. That's just the nature of the game. Craig Bellamy Birth Name: Craig Bellamy Occupation: Soccer Player Born In: Wales, United Kingdom Birthdate: July 13, 1979 Age: 43 years old (as of 2023) Ethnicity: Unknown Nationality: Welsh Sexuality: N/A Craig Bellamy was born on the 13th of July, 1979. [49] 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. [36] He endured a poor start to his career with Coventry, however, scoring only three league goalstwo of which were penaltiesby the start of December as the club found itself in the relegation zone. Bellamy reacted to being pinched, which resulted in him receiving a three-match ban. [50] Newcastle's title challenge gradually faded and Bellamy missed most of the season's final months after tearing a tendon during a match against Sunderland. [104] 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". Norwich, however, won 32 following a late-injury-time goal. 10. Gary speed's family lost a husband, a father, a brother and a son. "[176], In December 2010, Gary Speed, Bellamy's former team-mate at both Newcastle and Wales, was appointed manager of Wales. Bellamy missed both legs due to his knee injury that had plagued him prior to the matches and Wales lost 10 on aggregate. 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 (right) heads the list of five backroom employees who have followed Vincent Kompany from Belgium to Burnley Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has brought in his former Manchester City. He expressed frustration over Benitez's decision to use his final substitute in the match to make a defensive change despite trailing 20. [86], Bellamy made a goalscoring debut for Liverpool against Maccabi Haifa in the first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round on 9 August 2006, in a 21 victory. [196] In 2016, he was appointed Cardiff's player development manager, overseeing all age groups at the club's youth academy and coaching the older age-group teams. Trivia He started his own foundation to help disadvantaged children in Sierra Leone, a town he personally visited. He 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. 2. 2023 Porsche Taycan GTS Review. ", "Cardiff City: Ex-Wales captain Craig Bellamy retires", "Bobby Gould's Wales years in his own words: The extraordinary true stories of a bizarre reign through the eyes of the man himself", "Toshack's relief at return of striking star Bellamy", "Toshack praises Bellamy as Wales bounce back", "Bellamy is relieved of armband by Giggs", "Wales captain plans to lead Germany revolt", "Bellamy return leaves Wales boss Flynn with egg on his face", "Craig Bellamy: Wales forward to quit international career", "Craig Bellamy admits to emotional Wales retirement", "David Beckham not selected for London 2012 football squad", "London 2012: Great Britain denied by late Senegal strike", "Olympics football: GB beat Uruguay to reach quarter-finals", "Craig Bellamy always had potential to cause a stir on and OFF the field", "Craig Bellamy: 5 Reasons Liverpool Should Fight to Keep Him", "Craig Bellamy aiming to pile the misery on Norwich City despite huge debt he owes former club", "A big-hearted Craig Bellamy is better than a big-headed Brazilian", "John Toshack's withering attack on Robbie Savage and Craig Bellamy in new book", "Craig Bellamy could have been a superstar, says boss Zola", "5 things Cardiff City need from Craig Bellamy: 'Leadership, drive, energy, work-rate and standards', "Former Wales star Craig Bellamy rejoins Cardiff as academy coach", "The 100-second Craig Bellamy video that's making Cardiff City fans very excited about his manager credentials", "Craig Bellamy: Oxford United want Cardiff City coach as new boss", "Craig Bellamy: Cardiff City academy coach out of running for Oxford job", "Craig Bellamy steps down from Cardiff youth coach role to fight bullying claims", "Cardiff City legend Craig Bellamy issues apology after club's bullying investigation", "Craig Bellamy: Ex-Wales forward leaves Cardiff to join Anderlecht as coach", "Craig Bellamy: Ex-Liverpool striker leaves Anderlecht over depression", "Kompany brings in Bellamy as Burnley number two", "Craig Bellamy 'honoured' to return to Liverpool", "Bellamy junior called up for Wales development squad", "Cardiff City star Craig Bellamy divorced by wife for 'unreasonable behaviour', "Ex-Wales star Craig Bellamy in 18-month drink-drive ban", "Martial Arts: Cardiff City captain Craig Bellamy supports Tillery Combat MMA", "Craig Bellamy on putting 1.4m of his own money into Sierra Leone football academy", "Craig Bellamy 'devastated' by charity investigation", "Craig Bellamy charity suddenly closes leaving 'children living in poverty', "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 1999/2000", "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 2000/2001", "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 2005/2006", "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 2006/2007", "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 2007/2008", "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 2010/2011", "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 2012/2013", "Games played by Craig Bellamy in 2013/2014", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Craig_Bellamy&oldid=1139016627, *Club domestic league appearances and goals, This page was last edited on 12 February 2023, at 22:57. [201], In June 2019, 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. Detailed. His performances led to a permanent place with the Canary Rangers, Norwich's youth development side. Craig Bellamy is a soccer player from Wales. [43][46][47] Bellamy remarked that his pace and creativity complemented Shearer's game. [6], Bellamy attended youth sessions organised by Cardiff City in Ely for a year after being encouraged by his father. . [69] On the final day of the season, Celtic led rivals Rangers by two points heading into the team's final fixture against Motherwell but suffered a defeat that, coupled with a Rangers win over Hibernian, cost them the title. Craig Bellamy was born on July 13, 1979 in Wales (41 years old). [137] On 27 November, Dalglish withdrew Bellamy from the team for the game against Manchester City following the suicide of his friend and coach Gary Speed. [124] 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. [100] He also began suffering from arthritis that required surgery; he made a brief return in October, playing two matches for Wales and one for West Ham. [217], In 2007, Bellamy was invited to visit Sierra Leone by a friend. [82] The couple divorced in December 2012; his wife cited "unreasonable behaviour". [101], Bellamy spent mid-2008 in the Algarve training with a physiotherapist to regain fitness. The decision reaped rewards immediately; Bellamy scored seven goals in his first eight league appearances of the campaign, including his first career hat-trick on 22 August 1998 in a 42 home win over Queens Park Rangers. 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