Craig Bellamy has told his Wales players to “honour the shirt” and not swap jerseys with Kevin De Bruyne and company after their World Cup qualifier in Belgium.
Wales resume their bid to reach the 2026 World Cup finals this week with a double header at home to Liechtenstein and away to star-studded Belgium.
Taking on the Red Devils in their Brussels backyard is Wales’ biggest test in Group J, but boss Bellamy believes the culture and mentality fostered since his appointment last July and the eight-game unbeaten run that has followed will stand Wales in good stead.
Bellamy insists Wales should not be considered underdogs – “small footballing nations don’t expect to qualify for World Cups, and we do” – and keeping hold of the jersey after the final whistle is among the pillars of his philosophy.
“You have to honour your shirt,” said Bellamy. “The only time you give it up is when you lose your place and someone else takes it, but you’ve left it in a good place.
“That’s a no-brainer to me and I believe the players love that as well.
“Our shirt is the most important shirt in football. We don’t give that away, you can’t give it away.”
Asked if not swapping shirts extended to Belgian midfield maestro De Bruyne, one of the Premier League’s all-time greats at Manchester City, Bellamy replied: “I don’t think it is even worth having a conversation about.
“I don’t need to answer that question. It’s not going to happen.
“If I’m an aspiring young player then I want that (Wales) shirt. I see ours as the most important shirt, nobody else’s.”
Wales opened their World Cup qualifying campaign in March with a 3-1 home victory over Kazakhstan and a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia.
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David Brooks equalised with virtually the last kick in Skopje to protect Bellamy’s unbeaten record after Wales won promotion to the top tier of the Nations League in the autumn.
Bellamy draws parallels with basic habits on the football field to a 1980s Hollywood martial arts drama success at the box office.
“Have you ever watched The Karate Kid?” said Bellamy.
“Does he do karate straight away? No – it’s Mr Miyagi who decides.
“It’s wax on, wax off. He paints the fence. He teaches him all these types of rules before he can do karate, so that he has the disciplines.
“It’s about basics, habits. If you don’t have that intensity without the ball, if your body language is poor and you’re waving your hands, it’s the wrong team for you. This is not your team.”
