Coach learned his trade under Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht, now he leads Wales back to Belgium for a World Cup qualifier
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he last of Craig Bellamy’s 78 Wales caps came in Brussels in October 2013 and although that 1-1 draw concluded an underwhelming World Cup qualifying campaign, the Belgian capital is where he considers his coaching career achieved liftoff. He spent a little more than two years working at Anderlecht alongside his former Manchester City teammate Vincent Kompany, first as the under-21 coach and then as Kompany’s assistant, a springboard that has led him to representing his country at the King Baudouin Stadium for another qualifier, this time as a manager.
It is a city Bellamy remembers fondly, despite leaving Anderlecht in September 2021, before the end of his contract, to return to Cardiff to deal with depression after struggling being away from his family. “I loved living in Brussels,” he says. “It gave me a good step back. I was completely unrecognisable – no one had a clue who I was, which was nice. I enjoyed that peace.
“Even at the club, I think they had to Google or YouTube me to know who I was. It gave me freedom, it allowed me to breathe. I always wanted to go abroad. I should’ve done it as a player but I refused a few times. I looked back when I finished and thought: ‘Maybe I should’ve done that.’”
