For many a hugely underrated player for Newcastle United, this diminutive striker played a significant part in many of Newcastle United’s best moments of the early 2000 era.

‘Rescued' from relegated Coventry by Sir Bobby Robson he was brought into the Newcastle team in 2001 for £6.5m and became almost an instant cult hero scoring his first league goal in a 1-1 draw against Sunderland at St James Park early that season.

Complimenting Alan Shearer in a front two, the Welshman’s pace was perfect foil for the ageing United Legend.

He did however have something of a volatile character, being sent home from summer camps, the odd red card, an ‘assault’ charge and regular bust ups with managers and staff alike during his time at the club certainly being stains on his copy book.

But on the pitch he had a knack of being in the right place at the right time. And in 2002 he went into history, scoring a 90th minute winner in a 3-2 victory over Feyenoord that meant Newcastle United became the first club in Champions League history to lose their opening three group games and still progress out of the group.

It wouldn’t take him long to get back into the headlines for the wrong reasons though, becoming the fastest player to be shown a red card in the competition in a subsequent game against Inter after taking a swing at Marco Materazzi who’d ‘pinched’ Bellamy to insight a reaction.

A firecracker of a player who was, on his day, virtually unplayable. Capped 78 times for Wales he also scored 19 times for his country.