How Premier League Legend Craig Bellamy Became Bankrupt

· GiveMeSport

The former Liverpool, Man City and Newcastle winger gave a revealing interview about his financial status.

The life of a footballer may often seem to be the high life, but that isn't always the case. Although many at the top of the game will make an incredible amount of money in their prime, careers are short and can come to a halt at any given moment.

Sadly, there are several examples where a lack of preparation for the future can come back to bite certain stars. Former Manchester United midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba is one such example . Craig Bellamy is another.

The Welsh wizard had a Premier League career that many would've dreamed of, including spells at Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United. Yet, when he retired, the former winger had to declare himself bankrupt.

His heartbreaking retelling of what happened is not only a reminder of what can happen, but also a precursor to a remarkable journey that has led him to land his dream role.

Having broken through the ranks at Bristol Rovers, Bellamy first made headlines at Norwich City, where he bagged 32 goals in 85 games. A big move to the Premier League was being touted when the Welshman suffered an unfortunate ACL injury that would rule him out for the better part of a year. The now-coach spoke about his battles with depression during this time, but he returned to sign for Coventry City in the new millennium.

After a year of proving himself at the top level of English football, a bigger move to Newcastle United came about. This gave Bellamy a taste of Champions League football, but also allowed him to compete for the biggest trophies in the country. It also started to become apparent that he was not the easiest to work with, highlighted by a manager falling out with boss Graeme Souness that all but ended his four-year spell at St James' Park.

Spells at Celtic, Blackburn and West Ham followed, before Bellamy was handed yet another chance at one of the country's greatest clubs in Liverpool. The winger spent a solitary season at Anfield, making a Champions League final and having yet another memorable clash, this time with left-back John Arne Riise .

Bellamy would continue to hop between clubs over the next few seasons. He had second spells at both Upton Park and Anfield, sandwiched between a move to Manchester City. He would call time on his playing career in Wales at Cardiff City in 2014, ending a nearly two-decade career.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Bellamy finished his career having only won the Community Shield and the League Cup once.

His international career ended long before that, with Bellamy picking up the last of his 78 caps in 2013. A year prior, he had also been selected to play in the only ever Team GB Olympics football team.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2023, Bellamy revealed exactly how he ended up in the situation he found himself in. In the case of most ex-professionals in similar positions, most of the causes are attributed to addictions to alcohol or gambling. The 47-year-old explained that this was never the case, but admitted to being naive in his decision-making:

> "I have been living the last five or six years on Death Row, just waiting for someone to put me out. I have been waiting for the cell door to open and someone to say: 'Today’s the day'.

> "It’s like the feeling of not being able to look forward to anything. All the money I’ve earned, I can’t get a mortgage. Financially, I have no future. The hurt of that. I can’t own anything. Everything’s gone."

The former international explained all this while sitting in the flat that he wasn't allowed to own. Instead, it was rented for him by his employer at the time, Burnley. As to how it got so bad, the ex-forward discussed how he put faith in the wrong people.

> "I’m not a tax dodger, but I have been very naive and the HMRC have been pursuing me for unpaid tax for some time. Everything I have had has been taken from me. If you get the wrong people advising you, it all haemorrhages; it all dwindles. It has got to the point where bankruptcy is a relief. It means I can just live again."

As Bellamy profoundly put it, he never dabbled in drugs, nor did he gamble his money. He did, however, gamble on the wrong people, which got him into a hole he could never get himself out of. He fell victim to several failed investments, advisers forging his signature, and not paying his tax returns on time.

It was a harsh lesson for the footballer, who learned the hard way what happens when fame and fortune come knocking at your door, so do people who want a helping hand with what you have earned.

> "People think you’re a walking cashpoint for them. I felt guilty saying 'no' when people rang up for help, so I never said 'no'. They don’t ring me now. You don’t hear from them. There was someone I helped get on their feet, he was living with me and then he ripped me off. We were best friends.

> "I want this to be a warning to other players. Check everything, make sure the people advising you are regulated. If they are not regulated, it’s the Wild West. Get your stuff audited by independent people, the equivalent of getting a second opinion. I was brought up in a generation of footballers where everything was done for you. Every bill. Wherever I was, the club did everything for me. I think that’s wrong."

After facing up to his demons, Bellamy was handed an opportunity to recover in the form of former teammate Vincent Kompany. The pair, who had played together at Manchester City, linked up at Anderlecht, with the Welshman acting as his former captain's number two, before the duo joined Burnley in 2022.

After helping mastermind the Clarets' return to the Premier League, Kompany was unable to keep them up, but did secure a new job as the manager of Bayern Munich . While it seemed that Bellamy would be joining his partner, another job near and dear to his heart was about to become available.

In July 2024, it was announced that the former Welsh international would become the manager of his country. Bellamy described the gig as his 'ultimate' job and stated his intention to dominate with his side. As fantastic a professional achievement as it is, it is also a tale of perseverance and not giving up when the odds seemed heavily stacked against him.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 13/11/26.

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