Craig Bellamy Embraces Youth Movement at Cardiff City
Craig Bellamy chuckles when asked about Rubin Colwill, the 23-year-old forward currently making waves at Cardiff City.
“He’s big for you, isn’t he?” Bellamy responds to the reporter who mentions Colwill's name.
While Bellamy is indeed a supporter of the nine-cap player, Colwill has not always been a regular in Bellamy's Wales squads, despite his significant contributions to Cardiff's promotion efforts in League One and their quarter-final run in the EFL Cup.
“For the first time in a long while, I’ve genuinely enjoyed leaving Cardiff games with a smile,” he added. “Last year was tough, the atmosphere was low, but now I see several young Welsh players performing in a way that excites me.”
“I can only see them improving, and selfishly, I believe this will greatly benefit the national team, so I’m thrilled about that.”
The New Cardiff Generation
Bellamy's latest squad selection for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and North Macedonia reflects his enthusiasm for this new wave of talent at his hometown club.
In addition to Colwill, Bellamy has also included his brother Joel, 21, along with 18-year-old Ronan Kpakio and fellow defender Dylan Lawlor, 19.
This quartet may soon be joined by other promising players such as forwards Cian Ashford (21), Isaak Davies (24), and Tanatswa Nyakuhwa (20), as well as goalkeeper Matthew Turner (23) and midfielder Dakarai Mafico (18).
Bellamy credits Cardiff's manager, Brian Barry-Murphy, as a key factor in the club's resurgence. “The Cardiff manager is benefiting us; he’s benefiting us as a national team,” Bellamy remarked. “The way he approaches the game aligns closely with our style.”
“The players he has on the pitch, especially the young ones, often include six or seven Welsh players who play in a manner that is somewhat similar to ours. It’s slightly different, but not too dissimilar.”
“From a personal standpoint, this is incredibly beneficial for me. So [Barry-Murphy] is a dream come true.”
Following a defeat to Belgium in Cardiff last month, Wales is poised to compete in the March play-offs for a chance to qualify for next year’s World Cup finals in North America. Currently, Wales sits third in Group J, trailing leaders Belgium by four points and North Macedonia by three, although North Macedonia has played one game more.
A second-place finish would secure a one-off home semi-final against a lower-seeded team, followed by a decisive final. Conversely, finishing third could lead to a challenging away match against a top seed such as Italy.
“If we finish second, it may allow us to avoid facing one or two top 10 teams on their home turf,” Bellamy noted. “That would be advantageous for us. This motivates us to aim for second place for those reasons.”