Cardiff land Bellamy on year-loan from City

LONDON (AFP) – Manchester City’s Welsh international striker Craig Bellamy has joined his hometown club, second tier Championship side Cardiff City, on a year’s loan, City said Tuesday.

A statement on Manchester City’s official website, www.mcfc.co.uk, read: “Manchester City can confirm that Craig Bellamy has agreed to join Championship club Cardiff City on a season-long loan.

“He will be officially unveiled in south Wales later today and, subject to Premier League and Football League ratification, will join up with Dave Jones’ side in time to make his debut at home to Doncaster Rovers at the weekend.”

Bellamy, 31 and captain of Wales, supported Cardiff as a boy and had revealed last week that he was missing his wife and children, who live in Cardiff.

Bellamy is surplus to requirements at big-spending Manchester City just 16 months after joining from West Ham for 14 million pounds (20 million dollars).

He had also been linked with a loan move to Celtic, where he played on loan from Newcastle five years ago but preferred the lure of Wales and a side which just missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season.

“I have always wanted to play for Cardiff. I’ve never been shy in saying that,” he said last week.