Having broken through as a youngster with Norwich City back in 1997, just 12 years later Craig Bellamy had played for seven clubs in total.
During that time, the much-travelled Welshman had forged himself a reputation as a striker with a fiery attitude, but one who could call upon plenty of natural ability.
It was those characteristics that tempted Manchester City manager Mark Hughes to part with £14m on this day five years ago to reunite himself with the West Ham United frontman. The pair had previously worked together at Blackburn Rovers and the Welsh national team.
"I am delighted to be working with Craig once more. He is an outstanding player who provides us with qualities that we are slightly lacking. He has blistering pace, has bags of enthusiasm and has a superb attitude to training. He will be a great addition to the squad," Hughes told the club's official website.
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Meanwhile, West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola added: "I wish him all the best and I hope he does well and finds what he is looking for. I am very happy with what he has done for me and now he has decided to go somewhere else. We wanted to keep him but he wanted a new challenge and we respect that. For our fans, I can say again that we want to achieve a high level so we are looking for players that can help us make that happen."
Bellamy hit the ground running at the Etihad Stadium, scoring on his debut as City beat one of his former teams, Newcastle United, 2-1. He went on to score four goals in all competitions between then and the end of the campaign, before firing in 11 in 40 outings during the next season.
The summer of 2010 saw him join Cardiff City on a loan basis and then 12 months later he re-signed for Liverpool. His second spell at Anfield lasted just one term, though, with a permanent switch to Cardiff being secured in 2012.
Having helped the Bluebirds seal promotion to the Premier League, he featured during the 4-2 loss to Man City yesterday, receiving a positive reception from the home faithful in the process.
