Euro 2016

Craig Bellamy praises Wales squad following Euro 2016 qualification

By Miles Jolliffe, Reporter | 15 October 2015

Craig Bellamy praises the Wales squad following qualification for Euro 2016, noting a remarkable comeback following the death of former manager Gary Speed in 2011.

Craig Bellamy has praised the Wales squad following qualification for Euro 2016, noting a remarkable comeback following the death of former manager Gary Speed in 2011.

Wales last week secured their place at a first major tournament since the 1958 World Cup, and Bellamy claims that he was always confident of the current squad becoming successful.

"I was always conscious this was a special group. It's different to Welsh teams that have gone before," he told reporters.

"I was close to qualifying once or twice, but this group is different. The quality, the age, with the Ramseys and Bales, we were different."

"We had an incredible human being come in and it was probably the best Welsh team I ever played for," he added, referring to Speed's time as manager. "I remember coming off from a game against Norway and I thought 'We are going to go to Brazil'. We were that good.

"But there is not a group of players who deserve it more than this group. There really isn't. To go through what this group of players had to go through, the circumstances, to pick themselves back up then to see them qualify, the joy and the hard work they have put in. We all want to be involved in things like that, but for me it was a really happy moment."

Wales are included in Pot Four for Euro 2016 despite being one place ahead of Pot One side England in the FIFA world rankings.