Wales reap benefits of Bellamy's valuable lessons in Belgium

Coach learned his trade at Anderlecht and tonight he leads his unbeaten team back to Brussels for a key qualifier

- Ben Fisher

The 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 had 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 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."

He lived in an apartment on Avenue Louise, home to boutique brands and trendy eateries, a few miles from Anderlecht, a club that has long prided itself on developing players where its motto - In Youth We Trust - is not an empty slogan. Some days he and Kompany would arrive at 7.30am and at 8pm still be moving mannequins and talking patterns under the floodlights.