Bellamy has been involved in numerous high-profile incidents during his career with teammates, managers and members of the public and was described by Bobby Robson as "a great player wrapped round an unusual and volatile character".

[14][19] The club invited Bellamy to a trial match in Somerset where he impressed and was asked to travel with the side to compete in the Dana Cup, an international youth football tournament held in Hjørring, Denmark.

[5] He made his professional debut for Norwich on 15 March 1997 under manager Mike Walker at the age of 17, as an injury-time substitute in a 2–0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the First Division, the second tier of the English football league system.

The decision reaped rewards immediately; Bellamy scored seven goals in his first eight league appearances of the campaign, including his first career hat-trick on 22 August 1998 in a 4–2 home win over Queens Park Rangers.

[32] The tackle caused so much consternation that Rioch had to be physically restrained by his coaching staff while Bellamy's Norwich teammate Iwan Roberts later admitted taking revenge on Muscat by stamping on his back when the pair met in a match two years later.

On 10 December 2000, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Leicester City to gain his side three crucial points and Bellamy's form improved further after the arrival of his Wales strike-partner John Hartson.

[54] After returning from injury, Bellamy made his UEFA Champions League debut against Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv and was later given a retrospective three-match ban for headbutting Tiberiu Ghioane in the latter stages of the match.

[54] In the second round of the Champions League, during a 4–1 home defeat to Internazionale, Bellamy received the fastest red card in the competition's history when he was sent off for swinging an arm at opposition defender Marco Materazzi five minutes into the game.

[64][65] The arrival of Patrick Kluivert from Barcelona provided increased competition for Bellamy going into the 2004–05 season and the sale of his Wales international teammate Gary Speed further weakened his position at the club.

[77] Bellamy's last game of his loan spell was the 2005 Scottish Cup Final, in which he secured the first major trophy of his career after Celtic defeated Dundee United 1–0 at Hampden Park.

[71] Bellamy's club and international strike partner John Hartson wanted him to make his transfer permanent, saying "He'll never get the adulation he receives here anywhere else, even if he were to sign for Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal".

[80] With Newcastle seeking to sell, Bellamy attracted interest from numerous clubs, including Aston Villa, Fiorentina and Benfica, before agreeing terms with Everton following discussions with manager David Moyes.

[84] Although his early months at the club were disrupted with injury, featuring in only 13 matches by the end of December,[85] he scored 17 goals for Rovers in 2005–06 in all competitions, including a career-high top tier total of 11 in 20 appearances, in a successful but injury-tempered season.

Bellamy instead moved to West Ham United on 10 July 2007 for a fee of £7.5 million, signing a five-year contract as the club brought in several new players including Kieron Dyer and Scott Parker under new chairman Eggert Magnússon.

[104] On 19 January 2009, Bellamy completed his move to Manchester City on a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £14 million, reuniting with his former Blackburn manager Mark Hughes.

He scored the winning goal in the South Wales derby against Swansea City on 6 February 2011 with a long-range shot in the final minutes of the match; it was the first time Cardiff had won at their rival's ground since 1997.

[124] Bellamy's influence on the Cardiff team proved pivotal in the push for promotion, which included a 2–2 draw with league leaders Queens Park Rangers in April in which he scored the second goal.

[142] Featuring largely as a squad player, Bellamy made regular appearances as a substitute but enjoyed a prolonged run in the first team during the Christmas period after Luis Suárez was banned for racially abusing an opponent.

[144] In the final on 26 February, Liverpool met Cardiff City; Bellamy featured as a second-half substitute in place of Jordan Henderson but he did not take a penalty in the ensuing shootout after asking to be omitted from the five nominated takers.

[148] The death of Speed and the breakup of Bellamy's marriage prompted him to return to Cardiff to be closer to his children, despite new Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers offering him the chance to stay.

The side maintained its position for the rest of the season,[149] and a goalless draw with Charlton on 16 April 2013 secured Cardiff's promotion to the top tier of English football for the first time in 52 years.

[167][168] Consecutive victories over Azerbaijan put Wales into a strong position in the group but they failed to win any of last four matches, losing to Serbia and Montenegro (twice) and Italy, and drawing with Finland.

Although Wales endured a disappointing start to the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, Bellamy was encouraged by the progress being made under Speed's management, including victories over Switzerland and Norway.

[183] In June 2012, Bellamy was confirmed as one of the three over-aged players selected by manager Stuart Pearce for Great Britain to compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics alongside Micah Richards and Giggs.

As Premier League managers shifted toward favouring strikers with a more physical presence, Bellamy adapted to a wider role, studying leading wingers such as Franck Ribéry to improve his game.

[191] His former Wales, Blackburn and Manchester City manager Mark Hughes said he loved having Bellamy on his teams because of "the intensity he brings" and "his desire to affect the game every single time he plays".

[196] In the latter stages of his career, as his pace diminished, he received praise from Paul Abbandonato of WalesOnline for possessing "leadership, drive, energy, work-rate and standards of excellence" during his last playing season.

[203] In June 2019, Bellamy signed a three-year contract to become the under-21 team coach for Belgian side Anderlecht following the appointment of his former Manchester City teammate Vincent Kompany as manager.

[221] Bellamy is an advocate of mixed martial arts and has sponsored some of the fighters who train at Tillery Combat, a gym in Abertillery, Wales, providing them with supplements, kit and management advice through his company Shin2Chin.

[223] Operating in the Freetown, Bo, Kenema and Makeni regions, The Craig Bellamy Foundation League provided a national youth football framework for children; as well as on-pitch performance, points were awarded for school attendance, fair play and contributions to community projects.