Craig Bellamy signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2006, arriving from Blackburn Rovers to fulfil what he later called a boyhood dream.
His one season at Anfield brought a memorable European night, heading a first-half equaliser in a 2-1 Champions League last-16 win away at Barcelona in February 2007, as Liverpool progressed on their way to that year’s final in Athens.
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He returned for a second spell in 2011, winning the League Cup before leaving for Cardiff City in 2012, finishing with 18 goals in 79 appearances for the club.
Bellamy’s ties to Liverpool now run through a different role. Since 2024 he has been head coach of Wales, and one current Liverpool player has just earned his call-up for a defining campaign.
Bellamy has named a 28-player squad as Cymru’s UEFA Nations League campaign gets underway against some of Europe’s strongest teams in League A, and Liverpool forward Lewis Koumas is among those selected.
Cymru open the group with back-to-back away fixtures, facing Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday 24 September before travelling to Copenhagen to meet Denmark on Sunday 27 September. Wales have been drawn into League A, the top tier of the competition, alongside Portugal, Denmark and Norway.
Lewis Koumas, a product of Liverpool’s academy who joined the club from Tranmere Rovers as an 11-year-old, spent last season on loan in the Championship, first at Birmingham City and then at Hull City, helping the Tigers win promotion to the Premier League.
He returned to Liverpool this summer and made his Premier League debut as a late substitute in a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on the opening day of the 2026-27 season.
The 20-year-old scored his first international goal for Wales in a 1-1 draw with Ghana at Cardiff City Stadium in June, a result that marked the 150th anniversary of the Football Association of Wales.
Bellamy has spoken of a long-term plan to use him as a central striker, telling the BBC: “He is a nine because we don’t really have any nines coming through and we do have a lot of wingers, brilliant wingers.”
Cymru’s full squad also includes goalkeepers Karl Darlow, Danny Ward and Tom King, defenders Ben Davies, Chris Mepham, Ben Cabango, Neco Williams, Connor Roberts and Ethan Ampadu, and forwards Brennan Johnson, Dan James, Kieffer Moore, David Brooks and Wes Burns.
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