Charlie Adam has tipped Craig Bellamy to become an elite manager, praising his success while in charge of the Wales national team. After an 18-year playing career with clubs including Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City, Bellamy scored 169 goals before retiring in 2014 at age 34.
Coaching Career and Wales Success
Since retiring, Bellamy has worked with Cardiff's academy and assisted Vincent Kompany at both Anderlecht and Burnley, where he was briefly named acting head coach before taking up his current role with Wales. He enjoyed an unprecedented start to his Cymru tenure, avoiding defeat in his first six matches, and orchestrated a Nations League promotion into League A in 2024.
He suffered heartbreak after securing a World Cup qualifying play-off berth, losing on penalties following a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. His record as Wales manager stands at nine wins, seven draws and eight losses.
Adam's Praise and Belief
Adam, who played with Bellamy at Liverpool and worked with him at Burnley, says the boss goes underappreciated and that the 47-year-old will soon become one of Europe's elite coaches, which would inevitably put top clubs on alert. Speaking on In The Mixer, Adam said: "We always see Craig Bellamy as the player. We don't see Craig Bellamy as the coach. But I've seen it. For me, it's elite, top-level coaching that he does."
"People only judge him off his playing career. But when you actually see him on the grass and see him work, he's very, very good and I can see why Wales have had such a successful time in terms of the results that they've had," Adam added. "He'll become, for me anyway, eventually, a top manager with how he is. He was a character on the pitch and a character in the dressing room."
Bellamy's Fiery Personality
The Scot, who played one season as Bellamy's team-mate at Anfield, recalled an incident that summed up the Welshman's attitude as a fiery player. "One of the best stories that I had at Liverpool during my time with him was that he used to go back and play FIFA. He used to play on his computer," said Adam.
"I remember one time he'd spent a lot of money and one day he got scammed by some lads online and they took all his points and all his best players and he was absolutely raging," Adam said. "But he was… Until you actually get to know somebody, you have this perception of a player. I saw it as a personality in the dressing room, but I've seen him as a coach and it's totally different. Calm, authoritative, really good detail in his game. But they're two different people. He was a very good player, both feet. But again, they are the experiences he draws on."
