Craig Bellamy: The games, goals and quotes that defined his time at Wales

Scotland 1 Wales 2 – March 2013

Bellamy was on the verge of retirement when Toshack left, until his friend and role model Gary Speed ​​​​spoke to him.

When Speed ​​​​died, the question was whether Bellamy could continue, such was the impact his life and death had on his former teammate.

After a timeout, Bellamy returned under Chris Coleman, perhaps with the idea that his last attempt would be to guide the team to the next step with full potential.

It was out of reach for the now 34-year-old, he was no longer as sharp and effective as he once was, but there remained one night of personal significance for him when Aaron Ramsey scored from the penalty spot and Hal Robson-Kanu rose highest in the Hampden snow for a comeback victory that would lay the foundations for the qualification that followed two years later.

“I’m so proud of these players and the way we played,” Bellamy said with a sense of satisfaction greater than any individual impact on the match itself in Glasgow.

“We left a legacy of an incredible man and we’ve carried that on, which makes me even more proud. We represent him and his ideas every time we play, our approach and the way we play football. It was one of my proudest days in a Wales shirt.

“I see a bright future for us, although I might not be there myself when we finally qualify.”

He was right. His home game came against Macedonia seven months later, where he missed a penalty for Aaron Ramsey to take, while four days later his last action as a Wales player was to set up Ramsey for an 88th-minute equaliser against Belgium in Brussels, moments after 16-year-old Harry Wilson had entered the field for his debut.

Both will be involved this week as player Bellamy becomes manager and his Wales story begins a new chapter.