The video games, objectives and quotes that outlined Craig Bellamy's Wales days

It started amidst farce – and ended with renewed hope.

And alongside the way in which there have been moments of controversy, tragedy and brilliance, all usually bookmarked with brutal honesty.

Now 26 years on from the primary time he wore the colors of his nation, Craig Bellamy returns to the worldwide stage.

It’s not Bellamy the participant, he of 19 objectives, 78 appearances and numerous extra headlines.

As an alternative, the 45-year-old will lead Wales from the dugout , aiming to succeed in the key finals that so agonisingly eluded him as a ahead of fierce expertise and willpower.

As he prepares to put in writing the following chapter of his Wales story, BBC Sport Wales appears again on the key video games, objectives and quotes of Bellamy’s worldwide days.

‘You do realise you’ve simply saved Bobby Gould?’

Denmark 1 Wales 2 – October 1998

Nonetheless solely 18 years previous, Bellamy will surely have been wide-eyed at his first expertise of worldwide soccer.

These have been the Bobby Gould days; submit 7-1 Dutch hammering in Eindhoven and defeat by Leyton Orient, however nonetheless with its embarrassing anecdotes.

Black comedy, is how Bellamy later described it, because the honour of his debut towards Jamaica at Ninian Park was preceded by supervisor Gould and striker John Hartson’s notorious coaching floor wrestling match.

That was in March. By June Bellamy had scored his first aim in his first begin as Malta have been crushed 3-0, earlier than a 4-0 thrashing by World Cup-bound Tunisia that noticed captain Gary Pace hand out a dressing room dressing all the way down to the supervisor. This was peak Gould.

It appeared his days have been numbered by the point Wales went to World Cup quarter-finalists Denmark in October. With the rating surprisingly 1-1, the unmarked Bellamy – on for Nathan Blake – discovered his title within the headlines for the primary time on the massive stage as he headed house Darren Barnard’s cross into the far nook.

Bellamy later wrote in his autobiography that, because the celebrations subsided, Dean Saunders commented: “You do realise you’ve simply saved this man’s job?”

Billed as Gould’s farewell, it as a substitute proved to be Bellamy’s breakthrough.

‘Trapattoni instructed me they have been fortunate to solely lose 2-1’

Wales 2 Italy 1 – October 2002

Bellamy had performed as a midfielder in Gould’s final recreation, a usually shambolic 4-0 defeat by Italy in Bologna.

4 years later, the now-Newcastle star was very a lot Wales’ go-to man up entrance as hope and full homes adopted Mark Hughes’ appointment as supervisor.

His continuous power to press and clever runs to threaten, dovetailing with Hartson’s hold-up play, helped Wales overawe the Azzurri in one in every of Welsh soccer’s most memorable nights, the victory sealed when Bellamy raced onto a by ball between Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta, rounding Gianluigi Buffon to attain a aim he describes as one in every of his finest.

Requested again and again about his best second in a Welsh shirt, Bellamy hardly ever hesitated.

“It wasn’t simply the actual fact we beat them, it was the way of it,” he has stated. “Normally when Wales have gained we’d have been hanging on for durations, our goalkeeper needed to have an important recreation, however that wasn’t the case. I keep in mind (Italy supervisor) Giovanni Trapattoni coming within the dressing room after the sport and saying ‘We have been fortunate to lose 2-1’.”

At instances, Bellamy’s worldwide days felt extra about arguments, membership v nation rows, accidents and off-the-field points. This was pure soccer, and pure pleasure.

‘I’ve learn your columns and so they’re not very complimentary’

Wales 1 Slovakia 5 – October 2006

An honour, after which an embarrassing defeat.

Within the absence of Ryan Giggs, Bellamy was named captain for the primary time for the go to of Slovakia, a call he stated John Toshack confirmed a number of nerve in making given the inevitable storm it could create.

“I’ve learn your columns and so they’re not very complimentary,” Bellamy stated to at least one journalist on the pre-match press convention. “I’ve received this factor about me however I am not bothered. What’s extra necessary to me is my supervisor, the gamers round me and my household. They’re the one folks I’ve to show something to. It is simple to evaluate me, however they’re those who know me.”

Toshack’s hope was that Bellamy may assist nurture some younger expertise on the sphere, gamers akin to Gareth Bale who would go on to attain his first aim for Wales within the in any other case depressing match.

Sadly, Slovakia scored 5 in entrance of Wales’ lowest aggressive crowd for 5 years.

“What’s there to look again on? It was a catastrophe and one in every of my lowest factors,” Bellamy stated. “I hope this isn’t a return to the unhealthy previous days for each our group and assist.”

‘I can not recall such a person efficiency’

Slovakia 2 Wales 5 – September 2007

Bellamy’s dedication, even when qualification was both inconceivable and even not possible, was hardly ever doubted.

There had been the instances the place he had defied membership orders to play, boarded personal jets or rushed rehabs.

As Wales limped in direction of the tip of Euros qualifying, Bellamy had travelled to Trnava simply days after a well being scare relating to his daughter.

He stated later the reduction of her restoration noticed him play with a freedom, scoring twice as Wales discovered 5 of their very own towards Slovakia in a counter-attacking masterclass from their captain.

“You usually have 22 gamers battling away on the market, fairly evenly matched,” stated Toshack. “This recreation noticed 21 gamers, and one who was simply unbelievable. It was scintillating. Craig gave us that outcome.

“He’s our captain, our inspiration – even when nobody actually anticipated a efficiency like that. He was terrific.”

Bellamy admitted he ought to have scored a hat-trick, nevertheless it was nonetheless Wales’ largest aggressive away victory since a 5-0 win in San Marino 11 years earlier.

‘I see a brilliant future, though I is probably not round’

Scotland 1 Wales 2 – March 2013

Bellamy had been near retirement when Toshack left earlier than being talked round by pal and position mannequin Gary Pace.

When Pace died, the plain query was whether or not Bellamy would be capable of keep on, such was the affect each his life and his passing had on his former team-mate.

After taking outing, Bellamy returned below Chris Coleman, maybe deciding his one final effort could be to nudge a group filled with potential to their subsequent step.

It was out of attain for the now 34-year-old, not fairly as sharp or as efficient as he as soon as was, however there remained an evening that was personally vital as Aaron Ramsey scored from the spot and Hal Robson-Kanu rose highest within the Hampden snow for a comeback win that may assist lay foundations of the qualification that adopted two years later.

“I’m so happy with these gamers for the way in which we performed,” Bellamy stated with a way of feat larger than any particular person affect on the sport itself in Glasgow.

“We have been left a legacy by an unimaginable human being and we adopted that by, which makes me much more proud. We symbolize him and his concepts each time we play, our method and the way in which we go about soccer. It was one in every of my proudest days in a Welsh shirt.

“I see a brilliant future for us, though I is probably not round myself once we do ultimately qualify.”

He was proper. His house farewell got here towards Macedonia seven months on the place he handed up a penalty for Aaron Ramsey to take, whereas 4 days later his last motion as a Wales participant was to arrange Ramsey for an 88th minute equaliser towards Belgium in Brussels, moments after a 16-year-old Harry Wilson took to the sphere for his debut.

Each shall be concerned this week as Bellamy the participant turns into Bellamy the supervisor, and his Wales story takes in its subsequent chapter.