Former Wales international Craig Bellamy has announced his retirement from all forms of football, saying that his body couldn’t take the rigors of training day in and day out anymore.

The 34 year old Cardiff City striker played the last match of his professional career in the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea in the last game of the Premier League season which confirmed the team’s relegation to the Championship.

Bellamy, a former Wales skipper, made 78 international appearances for the Dragons before retiring from international
football in 2013.

Speaking to a Welsh news website, the Cardiff born forward said that he had to listen to his body. Bellamy has had a long and successful run in the Premier League where he played for seven different clubs including Liverpool, Newcastle United and Manchester City before retiring with home town club Cardiff City.

Craig Bellamy has said that he now plans to take some time off and spend it with his family before trying to chalk out a career in management and added that managing Wales one day is his biggest ambition now.

Bellamy also said that this is a not a decision he took lightly and has contemplated retirement for some time now. He mentioned that he had become accustomed to playing through pain and injuries but for the last few years, he has been on anti-inflammatory pills for every single day.

The Newcastle United legend went on to add that it wasn’t a wise decision to make and his body might rebel against it in the future but according to Craig Bellamy that is what kept him playing these last few years.

But he thinks that he has had enough of that and it was time to hang up his boots and spend some time with his young family.