During a battle with a Manchester United supporter, I sustained injuries, and the following day, Roberto Mancini instructed me to leave Manchester City

There was a lot of excitement surrounding the recruitment of Craig Bellamy to Manchester City in 2009. He had previously excelled at Newcastle United and Liverpool, but things swiftly went from bad to worse under the leadership of Roberto Mancini.

The signing of Craig Bellamy by Manchester City during their first transfer window following the takeover in 2008 was a declaration of purpose on the franchise’s part. In his great career to this point, he had played for Sir Bobby Robson, Rafa Benitez, and Mark Hughes, who was the manager of the Blues at the time. However, he had never completely settled down.

Bellamy was a character that caused a lot of controversy, and he had a disagreement with people like Graeme Souness and Benitez, but was undeniably talented. The early signs were positive as he scored on his debut against his previous side Newcastle, a match that will be replicated this weekend when the two teams face each other in the final eight of the FA Cup. Hughes was re-united with Hughes after being signed for a fee of fourteen million pounds.

However, Hughes would be fired, and Roberto Mancini, who would take over as manager, would instantly take a dislike to Bellamy’s reluctance to exercise twice a day owing to his own fitness plan to treat long-standing injuries. At City, it would prove to be the ultimate straw, with the consequences from a confrontation with a Manchester United fan being the final straw that would bring about his downfall.

As part of the first full transfer window for the Abu Dhabi United Group, Bellamy arrived at City in January 2009 alongside other notable players such as Nigel de Jong, Shay Given, and Wayne Bridge. Hughes praised the Wales international’s quality and untapped potential, despite the fact that he had a collection of big clubs and a huge transfer fee. After having a disagreement with Souness, which included a physical incident during training, and accused the Scot of lying, he had ultimately decided to leave Newcastle.

Souness made a solemn promise that Bellamy would never play for him again, and the Welshman was barred from engaging in any form of training after he refused to apologize. Over the course of his time at Newcastle, he was loaned out to Celtic under the direction of Martin O’Neill, and Souness later stated that it was either “him or me” during his time there.

Bellamy was still at City four years later, despite the fact that he had more disagreements and problems off the field. It didn’t take him long to get comfortable on the pitch, but he was also known to criticize the ‘clique’ of Brazilian players that was present at the club. The arrival of Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor in the summer of 2009 was intended to boost competition in the attack; however, he was able to hold his own with high-profile goals in the dramatic victory over Arsenal at the City of Manchester Stadium and in the 4-3 loss to United in the derby at Old Trafford. And then Mancini shows up.

Mancini instituted double workouts, which caused a conflict between Bellamy and Mancini, which resulted in the two of them never being on the same page again. Bellamy was following his own fitness plan to handle his injury concerns. When I was with Roberto, it didn’t take long for a little bit of tension to establish itself between us. As Bellamy would later explain, “He was unable to comprehend the reason why I did not train on a daily basis.”

On a daily basis, he instructed me to work out. Due to my previous injury history, I informed him that I was unable to. Even though he informed me that I needed to complete double sessions in the morning and afternoon, I told him that I was unable to do so.

“I put an excessive amount of stress on my hamstrings if I do two sessions,” she said. My playing style is quite explosive. The man gave a head shake. According to him, in Italy, you are required to train continuously. It was a very frustrating experience. It had been going so beautifully for me. Despite the fact that I had been feeling so at ease with my routine, it had been causing me to perform at my very best. Roberto was now interested in making a shift.

There was an incident that occurred following City’s loss to Hull in February of 2010, which marked the beginning of the end for Bellamy at City. The relationship had not gotten off to a fantastic start before to this.

It was Roberto who took my place. There was a warning sign. I went out with Wayne Bridge and Shaun Wright-Phillips that evening in Manchester, and by the time the night was up, I had allowed myself to get into a fight with a United supporter. According to Bellamy, there was some shoving and pushing that took place.

At the moment that I was about to get into my vehicle, there was a bunch of United supporters waiting for me. Due to the fact that I was in a poor mood, I became involved in the situation since they were making fun of me. Although it was not a serious incident, it was significant enough that it caused my knee injury to become more worse during the altercation. Because of that, I was absent for a period of two weeks. I went back to my workout routine, and I did some jogging again. Roberto informed me that I would also be running the next day. I stated that I was unable to work for two consecutive days without a break.

According to him, I had been absent for two weeks, thus I was required to. Because I couldn’t, I told him. It was imperative that I adhere to my schedule. A meeting with him, his fitness coach, and the club doctor was scheduled to take place in his office, and he invited me to attend. From the very beginning, he was a combative individual. Do you believe that you are able to make a decision about what you are going to do when you are away for two weeks?

“I am not going to deviate from my original plan, that is all,” I stated. “It has helped me stay in shape throughout the entire season, and I don’t want to take the chance of getting hurt now.”

In response, he responded, “Okay, then, you have been absent for a period of two weeks.” “At this point, you are free to return home for the remainder of the season.” Continue on. You do not wish to engage in physical activity. As a result, I headed home. I recounted the events that transpired to both Brian Marwood and Garry Cook. Garry paid a visit to my residence in order to discuss the matter. The translation, he added, had resulted in the loss of something. The following day, I went in and trained, but after that, Roberto and I did not communicate with each other.

The sentence was terminated. That marked the end of his relationship with me. Benitez, Rafa, was a hard person. A short distance behind was Roberto. He did not prevent me from moving. I continued to play, and I continued to put in some impressive performances. Nevertheless, it became widely known that we had a significant dispute, and the strain that existed between us increased.

Another incident that occurred on the training ground, in which Bellamy and Mancini fought, has also been described by Bridge.

“I remember that there was a moment when Bellamy asked him a question, and Bellamy was our greatest player at the time, and he sent him home. And there was the end of Bellamy’s work! In the previous year, Bridge.

In essence, he made a statement along the lines of, “What takes place if the center-back moves in this direction?” Something along those lines. And he only instructed him to be quiet and to carry out the instructions that were given to him. Just now, he inquired about what would go place in the event that something occurred, but he did not provide an answer.

He believed that Bellamy was showing him disrespect, but in reality, he wasn’t. It is my opinion that he was often misinterpreted, despite the fact that he was one of the best trainers and that he was wonderful with the children. I believe that Mancini interpreted his willingness to work his rear end off for you as a sign of disdain, but in reality, it was not at all disrespectful. This is a game that Bellamy is passionate about, and he would give it his all on the field.

Bellamy would make it through the 2009–10 season, but when it appeared that he would not be included on the squad list for the 2010–11 Premier League season, he went to the media to threaten to retire if that turned out to be the case.

It is difficult for me to determine what I will do if I am not selected for the 25-man squad. He stated, “I might finish, with a complete stop.” I have attempted to ask the question, but I have not been able to obtain an answer, and if I am to read between the lines, it does not appear to be a very good idea for me. In the same manner, I’ve felt the same way with everyone this summer. The sensation is simply different. I have the impression that I will not be participating in this game because it is so cruel. It is something that I am able to observe from a distance, and I find it really challenging to accept because I take great pleasure in playing for Manchester City.

Since the month of February, he [Mancini] has not communicated with me. I do not believe that it is necessary to give the manager high-fives and communicate with him on a daily basis; yet, with this 25-man squad, all of the signs that my agency and I have got are that my name will not be on it.

After being excluded from the Europa League team to play Timisoara, a Romanian club, Bellamy transferred to his hometown club Cardiff on loan for the year. The following summer, he joined Liverpool after being disallowed from City training during his brief comeback to the club.

When the match between City and Newcastle takes place on Saturday, fans of both teams will have happy memories of Bellamy. In addition, both may be remorseful that their respective managers at the time had a disagreement with the erratic forward, which prevented them from having a potential cult hero for a somewhat longer period of time.