‘I’m going to finish what he started’: Craig Bellamy aims to continue Gary Speed’s legacy

Craig Bellamy says he is determined to continue the legacy of former Wales manager Gary Speed, as he reflects on the profound influence Speed had on his career.

Bellamy paid respect to his predecessor in a new and exclusive documentary on S4C, offering an intimate and honest portrait of the current manager of the Wales Men’s National Football Team.

In the programme, Bellamy describes a defining moment when seeing the mural of Speed on the way to Cardiff City Stadium confirmed his decision to follow in his footsteps and build on the foundations he left behind.

In 2011, the football world was shocked by the news of Speed’s sudden death at the age of 42.

“It was that mural – that was it,” Bellamy says. “That was what confirmed it for me. And in my mind then was like ‘I’m doing this, I’m going to do this. I’m going to finish it off.’”

Bellamy says Speed’s influence had a lasting effect on him: “Gary was only here for a short period but his impact was big. His impact was so big. He just had that aura about him.”

“A lot of what you see now with the organisation with the Welsh FA was his impact. I see our beliefs are quite aligned and it gave me a real hunger for the game.”

In the documentary, Wales midfielder Joe Allen, who played under Bellamy, adds: “The message from Craig was to move on with the things we’d learnt from Gary.”

Bellamy went on to captain Wales and now leads the team as manager, building on his reputation as a strong leader.

In the documentary, Joe Allen called him “an inspiration to the players on the pitch” who “set the standard in terms of the effort”, while Ben Davies, who now plays under him, says: “Craig manages people well. The person is the most important thing with him – not only the football.”

Now bringing that same drive to coaching and leadership, Bellamy reflects on this next stage of his career: “I’m enjoying this. No hesitation. And I’m going to enjoy it no matter where it takes me – defeats, wins, draws – I don’t care where this road goes, but I’m going to enjoy every second of it.”

Over the last 12 months, Craig and the Wales team have been fighting to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Their play-off pathway begins with a semi-final against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Thursday 26 March in the Cardiff City Stadium.

Should Wales win, they will then face either Italy or Northern Ireland in a play-off final, again at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday 31 March.

Both matches will be broadcast on S4C, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer.

Craig Bellamy: Byd Y Bêl A Mi (Craig Bellamy: My Football World) is available on S4C, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer from 23 March at 20:00. English subtitles are available.