Craig Bellamy is back on the map

Craig Bellamy is probably one of the most underrated players in English Premier League even though his performances have been nothing short of impressive. He is the only reason why Manchester City escaped the dangerous zone and he is certainly one player who won’t be replaced in the summer. The Welsh forward had no problems adapting to the new surroundings and he quickly started terrorizing opposition defenders.

Bellamy started his professional career at Norwich City and he managed to enter the club’s Hall of Fame after spending just four years at the club. He spent one season in Coventry before moving up north to play for Newcastle United. Bobby Robson paired him with club legend Alan Shearer and this partnership helped the Magpies even qualify for the Champions League. Bellamy was awarded Players’ Young Player of the Year award after his first season in St James outfit, ahead of players such as Steven Gerrard. He showed a lot of promise while at Newcastle but his temperament and off the pitch problems prevented him from showing all his qualities.

His career was kick-started at Blackburn when he was signed by Mark Hughes, who coached him in Welsh national team. Defenders throughout the Premier League had plenty of problems dealing with Bellamy’s pace and trickery and 13 goals in 27 league games proved that he was also ruthless in front of goal. After the impressive season in Blackburn he was signed by Liverpool, where he struggled to keep the regular place despite playing very well indeed. West Ham was the next destination but he had a lot of problems with injuries during his stay at the club and was once again prevented from showing all his potential.

It took him just a couple of games when he returned from injury to attract the attention of big English clubs and this January Manchester City paid £14 million for his services. Bellamy was reunited with Mark Hughes and immediately started proving his worth, scoring five goals in the first seven games at the club. He revived the team completely with the series of impressive performances and he has already become fans’ favourite.

Bellamy’s footballing qualities make him an indispensable member of every team he joins. His motivation and work rate is simply unbelievable and I don’t remember ever seeing him indifferent on the football pitch. He is capable of running for hours and still having enough energy in him for the final sprint that could win his team the game. His lightning pace makes him very difficult to guard and I think that he is one of the few players in the World who can make defenders like Vidic or Ferdinand look stupid. Bellamy is not a selfish player and he often creates his teammates chances, which makes him a very complete player. Bellamy is able to motivate his team and make his teammates better players, which is one of the characteristics of a true leader. I just regret for not seeing him play for truly big club, but maybe he can help make City something similar. His excellent form has brought him back on the football map and I am positive that we will be seeing a lot of Bellamy in the future.

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