'It's for him' - Bellamy carrying Speed's memory for Wales

Nations League: Wales v Turkey

Venue: Cardiff City Stadium Date: Friday, 6 September Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Listen connected BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, Radio 5 Live, positive unrecorded matter commentary, followed by study and guidance connected nan BBC Sport website and app.

When you make your measurement to Cardiff City Stadium from nan guidance of nan metropolis centre, you are met pinch a mural of Gary Speed.

An image of nan precocious Wales skipper and head adorns nan broadside of a building overlooking a engaged Canton crossroads; a achromatic and achromatic image connected a bold reddish backdrop, accompanied by nan words ‘Only 1 Gary Speed’, arsenic sung by nan country’s supporters astatine each location game.

Speed whitethorn only person managed Wales for 11 months but he near a profound legacy, nan man galore judge to person laid nan instauration for nan team’s emergence from world football’s lowest reaches to nan sparkling highs of its top generation.

Mention Speed's sanction to immoderate of his erstwhile team-mates, colleagues aliases players he coached and you will apt spot them visibly moved, touched by their memories of a man they loved, who took his ain life successful 2011.

Craig Bellamy is one. Having played pinch and nether Speed for Wales and shared a dressing room pinch him astatine nine level, Bellamy has a deeper knowing than astir about what made him special.

Now, arsenic Wales caput coach, Bellamy helps transportation Speed’s representation arsenic good arsenic nan hopes of a nation.

A fewer weeks aft his assignment successful July, Bellamy gave a position to nan Football Association of Wales' [FAW] councillors.

Before getting to nan granular tactical item and expansive semipermanent imagination he has for his role, Bellamy started pinch an image of nan Speed mural successful Canton.

“This is for him,” he told nan room.

Bellamy not only saw what Speed had started but he had first-hand acquisition of it arsenic a personnel of nan squad which hauled Wales from an all-time world-ranking debased of 117th to 45th, a springboard for unprecedented early success.

Speed did not unrecorded to spot nan fruits of that work, while Bellamy had retired by nan clip Wales ended their 58-year absence from awesome tournaments pinch qualification for back-to-back European Championships and a World Cup.

When Wales were connected their euphoric thrust to nan Euro 2016 semi-finals, Bellamy was successful nan early stages of his coaching profession and maintaining a debased floor plan astatine likelihood pinch nan headlines he often made arsenic a player.

Having applied for nan Wales occupation successful 2018 and missed retired to Ryan Giggs, he worked arsenic an adjunct coach to his erstwhile Manchester City team-mate Vincent Kompany, first astatine Anderlecht successful Belgium and past pinch Burnley.

A self-confessed shot obsessive pinch a seemingly insatiable appetite for studying nan game, Bellamy had served his apprenticeship by nan clip nan Wales caput coach domiciled became vacant erstwhile again this summer.

When nan FAW’s main shot serviceman Dave Adams and main executive Noel Mooney interviewed Bellamy astatine Burnley’s training ground, he had prepared a position of singular detail.

As good arsenic a thorough tactical study of Wales, nan 45-year-old besides impressed his employers-to-be pinch a broad appraisal of each player’s beingness data.

Even much striking than his oculus for detail, however, was Bellamy’s passion and his consciousness of a calling.

Bellamy was 15 erstwhile he near his location metropolis of Cardiff to prosecute his dream of making it arsenic a master subordinate astatine Norwich City.

In his autobiography, he said moving distant from his family and friends astatine that property “killed a portion of me” and “taught maine to isolate myself, to beryllium single-minded… to beryllium emotionally detached”.

A highly successful but nomadic profession exacerbated that isolation, while self-doubt and introspection played connected a troubled mind.

Speed’s decease was 1 of nan catalysts for Bellamy’s determination to activity thief and, while intelligence wellness issues do not simply heal for illustration a surgery bone, nan Wales caput coach is calmer and much contented these days.

You get that consciousness erstwhile you walk clip successful his institution now. Bellamy is thoughtful and articulate – infectiously enthusiastic astir a scope of topics – though an strength still burns inside.

That occurrence makes him compelling to perceive to. You tin ideate really inspiring that must beryllium for Wales' players, who person been awestruck successful their admiration for nan caller caput coach's meticulous methods.

Bellamy contains multitudes. To watch him lead Wales connected to nan Cardiff City Stadium transportation for his first crippled against Turkey connected Friday will beryllium to watch a man, still successful nan fledgling shape of his coaching career, attack an extremity constituent of sorts.

Having spent astir of his big life extracurricular of Wales, Bellamy felt a gravitational impulse to return.

To guidelines connected nan touchline erstwhile nan anthem plays will beryllium a infinitesimal of belief presence and yet, knowing really shot tin resistance you distant from home, Bellamy cannot shingle nan consciousness that thing lasts forever.

Even astatine this opening of a caller era, location is nan consciousness of an ending.

“I didn’t spot myself coming backmost to Wales but I ever felt that propulsion backmost here,” Bellamy says.

“I’m grateful for that happening. I want to reconnect conscionable for myself to summation peace.

“Because I do ideate this will beryllium my past play successful Wales, these adjacent 3 aliases 4 years aliases immoderate that play is, I effort not to look excessively far.

"I want to soak up everything I can, get to spot each portion of it, get to bask each portion of it arsenic well.

“It sounds a spot unusual but I spot it that measurement because, bully aliases bad, shot will astir apt return maine retired of present then.”