PLAYER PROFILE

Craig Bellamy

Position: Forward

Height: 5'9

Weight: 10st 10lbs

Date of Birth: 1979-07-13 Cardiff, Wales

Craig Bellamy

Like Robbie Keane before him, Craig Bellamy chose to make Coventry City his stepping stone club from the First Division before moving onto pastures new. The Wales international striker was one of the hottest properties in the First Division when Coventry City snapped him up from Norwich City for £6m on the recommendation of Wales boss, Mark Hughes.

Bellamy failed to make quite the impact that Robbie Keane did in his first (and only) season at Highfield Road, but made a suitable impression to convince Bobby Robson that he was the man to add some firepower to Newcastle's forward line, so he joined them in 2001.

Despite an incident in Newcastle city centre that brought the disgrace of a caution for common assault, the striker became a very popular player for his performances in his first season. He notched up 14 goals in his first seven months in a Newcastle shirt - as well as a staggering eleven bookings - before an knee injury sustained in training threatened to ruin his season just as Newcastle threatened to mount a serious challenge to Manchester United's title hopes.

The knee problem dogged the Welshman, and kept him out of the Newcastle team for the majority of the 2003/04 campaign. He was in trouble with the law again on several occasions too. In September 2003 he was being found guilty of using threatening, abusive or insulting language outside a Cardiff nightclub, having been refused entry on a night on the town back in April of that year.

Still, he bagged nine goals for Newcastle in 24 appearances, helping them finish fifth. However, he was back in trouble in 2004/05, having a bitter row with boss Graeme Souness over whether or not he feigned injury to avoid playing out of position. So, it was no surprise when he joined Celtic on loan for the rest of the season.

In his brief stay in Glasgow at the tail-end of the season he made 15 appearances, scoring 9 goals, including a hat-trick which sealed a 3-2 victory against Dundee United. However, when it became clear that he would not be moving there on a permanent basis, Bellamy was left wondering where his future lay, as it certainly didn't involve returning to Newcastle.

In July 2005 he joined Blackburn Rovers then, after a highly successful season, moved onto boyhood heroes Liverpool. His first season with the club proved to be a mixed one. Although he scored nine goals in 33 starts for Liverpool, he was also involved in a violent incident during a team training session in Portugal.

The Welsh striker allegedly attacked John Arne Riise with a golf club because the defender wouldn't sing karaoke with him. Both players apologised, but it was yet another moment of controversy in a career blighted by such troubles. It also proved to be his undoing at another club, with Liverpool deciding to get rid of him after just one season, selling him to West Ham for £7.5m in July 2007.