Former Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam believes ex-Anfield striker Craig Bellamy has the qualities to become one of Europe's elite managers, pointing to his impressive record as Wales boss

Charlie Adam has backed Craig Bellamy to reach the very pinnacle of football management, heaping praise on his achievements at the helm of the Wales national side.

Following an illustrious 18-year playing career, during which he turned out for the likes of Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City and netted an impressive 169 goals, Bellamy hung up his boots in 2014 at the age of 34. Since his retirement, he has served in Cardiff's academy set-up and acted as assistant to Vincent Kompany at both Anderlecht and Burnley — where he briefly took the reins as acting head coach before assuming his current role with Wales.

Bellamy made a remarkable start to his Wales tenure, remaining unbeaten across his first six matches before masterminding an outstanding Nations League promotion to League A in 2024.

He endured a gut-wrenching exit from World Cup qualifying, however, bowing out on penalties following a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. His overall record as Wales manager reads nine wins, seven draws and eight defeats.

The former striker's impressive exploits on the international stage saw his name tentatively linked with vacancies at Burnley and Celtic over the summer. Adam, who shared a dressing room with Bellamy at Liverpool and worked alongside him at Burnley, insists that the manager remains undervalued and that the 47-year-old is destined to join the ranks of Europe's finest coaches — a prospect that will inevitably attract the attention of top clubs.

Adam, who played alongside Bellamy at Anfield, revealed on In The Mixer: "We always see Craig Bellamy as the player. We don't see Craig Bellamy as the coach. But I've seen it. For me, it's elite, top-level coaching that he does.

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"People only judge him off his playing career. But when you actually see him on the grass and see him work, he's very, very good, and I can see why Wales have had such a successful time in terms of the results that they've had.

"He'll become, for me anyway, eventually, a top manager with how he is. He was a character on the pitch and a character in the dressing room."

The Scotland international, who spent just one campaign alongside Bellamy at Anfield, also shared an anecdote that epitomized the Welshman's temperament as a passionate player.

"One of the best stories that I had at Liverpool during my time with him was that he used to go back and play FIFA. He used to play on his computer," said Adam.

"I remember one time he'd spent a lot of money, and one day he got scammed by some lads online and they took all his points and all his best players, and he was absolutely raging.

"But he was... Until you actually get to know somebody, you have this perception of a player. I saw it as a personality in the dressing room, but I've seen him as a coach, and it's totally different.

"Calm, authoritative, really good detail in his game. But they're two different people. He was a very good player, both feet. But again, they are the experiences he draws on."

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