The World Cup means so much to Craig Bellamy that he was willing to get into bed with the enemy.
The Wales manager has revealed his motivation for arranging a friendly against England later this year was because he believes it is perfect preparation for his team’s own qualification campaign.
It might involve going over the border and playing the match at Wembley on October 9, but for Bellamy that will be a very small price to pay if it gives his team an edge in trying to make it to the 2026 finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The clash against England will take place just four days before Wales’ pivotal qualifier against Belgium and Bellamy believes the high-intensity fixture against the old enemy is an ideal test ahead of the must-win clash.
“I liked the opposition, England, because we have got Belgium,” he explains.
“I needed the high intensity, but I didn’t need it on a Friday (three days before the Belgium game).
“I needed England to work on a Thursday and we didn’t want to travel, so ideally it was to be a home game.
“But I wanted to keep the pitch okay as well because of the importance of the Belgium game.
“So, the high intensity and quality of the opposition without travelling, England was perfect.”
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New England manager Thomas Tuchel has also embraced the fixture, recognising its significance for his own team’s World Cup ambitions.
“Derby matches” like these, he believes, will help England fine-tune their squad.
While Bellamy and Wales open their campaign at home to Kazakhstan on Saturday - and then travel to meet North Macedonia on Tuesday - former Chelsea boss Tuchel will oversee his first games in charge during upcoming qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
Bellamy appreciates England’s enthusiasm for the match and adds: “They were keen as well for the game.
“I know John McDermott (FA technical director) there really well. He’s a really good guy and it just worked. It’s a great game. You get a great stadium, of course, great opposition, and a top manager.”
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Despite a distinguished club career that took him to Liverpool, Manchester City, and Newcastle United, and some memorable moments in a Wales shirt, Bellamy never had the opportunity to represent Wales on football’s biggest stage.
Now, as the head coach, he is determined to guide his country to successive World Cup appearances.
“I want the players to qualify. Do I want to coach at a World Cup? Yeah, but is it the most important thing? I'm okay, trust me.
“Do I want the money that can come back to help us invest, to help us keep improving this game of ours? That’s all I get motivated for.
“I need that money so we’ve got more pitches, we build more infrastructure.”
Under Bellamy’s leadership, Wales have been on an upward trajectory, remaining unbeaten in six matches and securing promotion to the top tier of the Nations League.
That achievement has also ensured they have at least a play-off spot for World Cup qualification.
However, Bellamy’s primary objective is to secure an automatic place in the tournament.
The campaign begins with that home fixture against Kazakhstan on Saturday, followed by the trip to North Macedonia, with encounters against Belgium and Liechtenstein looming in the near future.
While Wales qualified for their first World Cup in 64 years in 2022, their campaign ended in underwhelming disappointment at the group stage.
Bellamy is determined to ensure history does not repeat itself.
He wants his players not only to qualify but to leave a lasting impression on the tournament.
“I remember the 1986 World Cup, massively. I think the first game I remember was England against Poland and [Gary] Lineker scored a hat-trick,” Bellamy, now 45, recalls.
“We used to go to Spain and I had a Lineker shirt. I pulled away from that because I always wanted an Argentina one with Maradona.
“The 1990 tournament I really enjoyed, but it wasn’t a great World Cup. We saw the emergence of Roberto Baggio, but then Toto Schillaci took over like an unknown.
“There was also the emergence of Cameroon. I would say that was a good World Cup but the most important one for me was 1994 in the USA.”
That tournament was transformative for Bellamy. Watching Brazil’s more pragmatic approach, he found inspiration.
“It was amazing because I wanted an Italy-Brazil final. There was something about Romario. I just thought it would be his World Cup. I watched Brazil every game.
“They were more conservative than other Brazilian teams, but I still think they had that quality.
“That World Cup, at the time as a kid, I wasn’t sure which way I wanted to go. Did I want to be with my friends mostly?
“I knew that path wasn’t going to take me to being a footballer. I think I spent a month watching nearly every game. It was ‘give me that, I want to be a footballer’.”
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Despite playing alongside greats such as Ryan Giggs and Gareth Bale, Bellamy never believed his generation had the quality to qualify for a World Cup.
“I’ve got to be honest, we weren’t good enough to qualify,” he admits.
“I never thought we were ever a team that was going to be able to qualify. Even if we had all the luck in the world, we still didn’t have enough quality, I don’t feel.”
However, he sees a stark difference in the current squad.
“I see a lot more, and they proved that they’ve done it before. That helps because they’ve got experience of qualifying,” he says.
“I just want to win this group but I can’t look that far ahead. I know you would love me to be able to say that but, I think if I live in the real world, it’s one step at a time.
“It really is that because otherwise you get so overwhelmed and you can miss the point of what this is.
“For now, Kazakhstan is most important.”
