Craig Bellamy confirmed as new Wales manager as FAW announce Rob Page's successor

Craig Bellamy has spent the last two seasons at Burnley but is now set to return to home soil in Wales. Credit: PA Images

Former footballer Craig Bellamy has been announced as the new Wales manager.

The The Football Association of Wales (FAW) said it was "delighted to announce the appointment of Craig Bellamy as the Cymru Men’s National Team Head Coach until 2028".

Bellamy will succeed Rob Page, who was sacked last month in the wake of failing to qualify for Euro 2024, after turning down the opportunity to stay at Burnley under new Clarets boss Scott Parker.

The 44-year-old is a former Wales captain, who won 78 caps for his country between 1998 and 2013.

Other names who had previously been linked with the Wales manager position included former France forward Thierry Henry and Georgia boss Willy Sagnol.

But it is understood that Bellamy, who just lost out on the job in 2017 when Ryan Giggs was appointed, impressed the FAW hierarchy when he was interviewed in the north of England last week.

Rob Page spent three-and-a-half-years at the Wales helm but left after failing to qualify for Euro 2024. Credit: PA Images

On his appointment, Bellamy said: “It’s an incredible honour for me to be given the opportunity to lead my country and it’s the proudest moment of my career. It was always my ultimate dream to become the Cymru Head Coach and I am ready for the challenge.

“I will give my full commitment to develop this team and I am passionate to bring continued success into Welsh football. I can’t wait to get started with our Nations League games in September.”

The FAW’s Chief Football Officer, Dr. David Adams, said: “I am absolutely delighted to announce Craig as our new Head Coach. We undertook a thorough recruitment process for the new Men’s National Team Head Coach and Craig was identified as the standout candidate.

“We are all looking forward to the Nations League games and working with Craig to deliver success for Welsh Football.”

  • ITV Cymru Wales Sports Reporter, Matt Southcombe

One thing Craig Bellamy will certainly bring to his new role as manager of Wales is plenty of passion and straight-talking.

The 44-year-old has never been one to mince his words and is unlikely to change that tact now.

His appointment will be a hit with large portions of the fanbase but those based in Swansea will take some convincing. Cardiff born and bred, Bellamy never hid that his loyalties lay in the capital.

Like any new manager, some good early results will be important to galvanise the entire fanbase behind him.

There will also be concerns that Bellamy has never held a management job at the top level. But those fears will be allayed slightly given the experience he has garnered working as an assistant to former Manchester City team-mate Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and then Burnley. Though he was overlooked by the Clarets for the top job following Kompany's departure earlier this summer.

Bellamy played for hometown club Cardiff City towards the end of his career on the pitch as a footballer. Credit: PA Images

Since Rob Page's departure the FAW had suggested they were ready to appoint their first non-Welsh manager for 25 years but opting for Bellamy over candidates like Thierry Henry and Willy Sagnol has obvious benefits.

Bellamy, who played for his country 78 times will need no introduction to the culture that the Welsh national side has fostered over the last decade or so.

The FAW will not have to explain to him the significance of the Red Wall - the most passionate section of Wales' fanbase - or the Welsh language. He already gets all of that.

Bellamy's experience at the top level as a player is unquestionable, having played at major clubs like Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle.

His lack of managerial experience means he enters the role with something to prove but, being a passionate Welshman, this is a role he will treat with the utmost respect.

Whatever Bellamy's tenure brings, it's unlikely to be boring.

Bellamy has spent the last two seasons at Burnley, where he worked as number two to Vincent Kompany. He was then put in interim charge of the club when Kompnay left for Bayern Munich in May but is now set to return to home soil in Wales

The former Wales player began his coaching career in the academy of hometown club Cardiff.

Wales return to action with a Nations League home tie against Türkiye on September 6 before heading to Montenegro three days later.

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