Following the goal, Bellion became a first-team regular at Sunderland, although he was unable to save them from relegation with the third-lowest Premier League points tally ever.

[18][19] Despite being compared to Thierry Henry and early-season goals against Norwich City[20] and Bolton Wanderers,[21] the 2004–05 campaign proved frustrating for Bellion as he found himself increasingly frozen out of the first-team squad.

[22] During 2004–05, Bellion scored his first Champions League goal (not including qualifiers)[23] in a 6–2 win over Fenerbahçe and was involved in the squad for the FA Community Shield in a 3–1 loss against Arsenal.

[citation needed] He returned to France on 9 January 2006, joining Nice on loan until the end of the season,[28][29] a move that was later made permanent in June 2006.

[30] Shortly after his move, Bellion made his debut, coming on as a substitute and receiving a yellow card, in a 0–0 draw against Nantes.

[32] After finally leaving Manchester United, Bellion said he had no hard feelings toward the club,[33] and also said his experience in English football was "frustrating".

[37] Despite this, Bellion finished his first season with eight goals, making him the club's joint top scorer in the league along with Bakari Koné.

[citation needed] Bellion joined Bordeaux on 15 July 2007, signing a four-year deal for a fee rumoured to total €4.5 million.

[39] The following 2008–09 season, Bellion became third-choice striker behind Marouane Chamakh and Fernando Cavenaghi, limiting his first-team opportunities.

[43][44] However, in three seasons, Bellion was barely used in the first team and stayed on the substitutes bench, even upon his return on loan from Nice and also his own injury concerns.

[citation needed] Bellion scored his first goal in two years since September 2010 in the Europa League in a 1–0 win over Marítimo on 8 November 2012.

[citation needed] In June 2013, Bellion was linked with a move to the United States, where he trained with the New York Cosmos on trial.

[53] In July 2014, after his contract with Bordeaux expired, Bellion joined Championnat National club Red Star.

[56] Bellion's goals helped Red Star win the league and gain promotion to Ligue 2 after beating Istres with a 4–0 victory at home on 8 May 2015.