Aaron Ramsey has heaped praise on Wales manager Craig Bellamy for his transition from playing to managing at the top level.
Bellamy, who played for Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City throughout his career, became the Welsh boss in 2024.
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And the 46-year-old is now looking to reach the 2026 World Cup in charge of his nation, for which he made 78 caps.
The ex-winger was a star in the Premier League during his playing days, collecting 294 top-flight appearances in total.
He netted 81 times for a variety of clubs and won the League Cup with Liverpool in 2012 before retiring two years later to bring his 18-year professional career to an end.
Since his retirement, Bellamy slowly transitioned into a manager, working as an academy coach with Cardiff City to start.
The Welshman then went on to work as U21 boss for Belgian side Anderlecht before later becoming assistant to his former Man City teammate Vincent Kompany with the first team.
The pair then worked together again at Burnley before Kompany departed Turf Moor to join Bayern Munich.
That was a big step for the Belgian, and Bellamy’s big step followed soon after, as he was appointed Wales manager.
He went on to become the first Wales boss ever to go unbeaten in their first four games in charge – and since then he’s won eight of his 16 matches on the touchline for the country.
‘He’s been absolutely brilliant’
Now, with the World Cup in his sights, Bellamy’s stock continues to rise as a manager after his impressive career transition.
And that’s something that Ramsey, who has played under Bellamy, has massively praised ahead of their crucial play-off semi-final against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday evening.
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“I think he’s been absolutely brilliant,” Ramsey told eSPORTY.com during an appearance at Topps’ Rip Night in London.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him. I think what he’s done with Wales so far has been absolutely brilliant. He’s transformed the team.
“I think the amount of detail that goes into everything with him is exceptional, really.
“I think the players have fed off that and produced some really, really strong performances so far.
“Two tough games to look forward to, but we’re at home, we’re playing well, so we’ve got it all to play for.
“I’m quietly confident we can progress and be at that World Cup.”
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Just how good could Bellamy be?
Ramsey then looked at the future for Bellamy and whether his career as a manager can continue to build rapidly.
“I’ve worked with him for a few years now, and he’s exceptional,” the ex-Arsenal midfielder explained. “The amount of detail that goes into it, he’s obsessed, he’s curious.
“He’s had some real highs so far in his short managerial career. Even as a coach with Burnley, promotion and the football they were playing in the Premier League.
“Yeah, it was a little bit more difficult, but they learned so much and they played some really good stuff at times.
“Now he’s taken that on himself and he’s ready for that next challenge…he’s come straight in and hit the ground running with Wales.
“I’m sure the sky is the limit for where he wants to go with his managerial career. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”
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Bellamy where he’s meant to be
So, ‘the sky is the limit’ for Bellamy in management, but has he always been the type to take his career to the touchline?
Former Wales striker Sam Vokes, who played alongside Bellamy, spoke to eSPORTY after he was appointed Dragons boss.
When asked whether he had shown signs he wanted to become a manager, Vokes said: “Yeah, definitely. He was always that leader.
“Especially for myself, a big group of us came through at the same time as young players, he was always someone we looked up to as a player.
“I remember watching him as a fan and he always had that excitement when he played. I think for us coming through, we learned a lot from him and you could always see him taking that next step.
“It doesn’t surprise me now he’s got the main job.”
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Special moments
Alongside speaking about Bellamy and Wales, Ramsey also discussed memorabilia at Topps’ Rip Night in London.
And he told eSPORTY.com about his most special piece, saying: “I’ve got a couple of shirts that really mean a lot to me.
“The one that stands out for me though, is I’ve got a David Beckham shirt personalised when I broke my leg.
“He wrote a lovely message on the back of his shirt, it was a Milan shirt.
“That’s definitely one that meant a lot and especially going through what I was going through at the time.”
